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Studying  Art  Abroad, 


HOW  TO  DO   IT  CHEAPLY. 


BY 

MAY   ALCOTT   NIERIKER. 


J../14J 

?,       1879.       ^ 


BOSTON. 

ROBERTS     BROTHERS. 
1879 


MOXONIHSVM 

i «3«onoo  JO 


Copyright    1S79, 
BY   ROBERTS   BROTHERS. 


,i 


(,1 


PRINTED    BY 
ALFRED    MUDGE    AND   SON. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

En  Route 5 


CHAPTER  II. 
London *9 

CHAPTER  III. 
Clothes,  Shops,  and  Addresses 35 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Paris 42 

CHAPTER  V. 
Rome 


Studying  Art  Abroad. 


CHAPTER   I 

*     EN    ROUTE. 

Art  is  so  over-talked  and  over-written  at  the 
present  time  (charmingly,  to  be  sure,  but  still 
overdone),  that,  even  were  a  student's  opinion  on 
the  subject  of  any  value,  I  have  no  intention  of 
adding  my  name  to  the  list  of  those  who,  from 
critics  like  Ruskin  and  Hamerton  down  to  the 
multitude  of  newspaper  correspondents,  keep 
America  en  courant  with  European  painters,  pic- 
tures, and    gossip. 

But  none  of  these  writers  report  the  actual  cost 
of  living,  instruction,  or  rent  of  studio  abroad  ;  or 
how  one  in  search  of  such  can  most  easily  and 
economically  obtain  them,  in  order  to  realize  the 
desire  of  one's  heart.  Therefore,  having  had  some 
experience  of  art  studies  in  London,  Paris,  and 
Rome,  I  propose  putting  into  readable  form,  facts 
and  figures  which  may  help  another  to  overcome 


STCDY/XG   ART  ABROAD. 


certain  difficulties  attending  a  first  trip,  and  the 
most  direct  attainment  of  the  desired  end. 

Now  that  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia 
have  their  Fine  Art  Museums  and  life  classes, 
there  is  no  longer  the  same  necessity  for  crossing 
the  Atlantic  for  an  education  that  existed  some 
years  ago.  But  while  the  feeling  prevails  that 
there  is  no  art  world  like  Paris,  no  painters  like 
the  French,  and  no  incentive  to  good  work  equal  to 
that  found  in  a  Parisian  atelier,  many  will  con- 
tinue to  seek  in  France  what,  in  their  estimation, 
cannot  be  found  in  America.  To  such,  especially 
if  women,  a  few  notes,  suggestions,  and  addresses 
will  prove  useful  in  simplifying  the  modus  ope- 
randi of  settling  in  a  foreign  city. 

Let  me  impress  upon  them  at  the  outset  the 
importance  of  considering  well  what  is  one's  par- 
ticular taste  or  talent,  aim  or  ambition,  and  to 
have  a  definite  notion  before  starting  of  what  one 
wants  to  learn,  so  as  to  insure  the  greatest 
amount  of  profit  and  enjoyment  in  a  given  time. 
For  I  am  supposing  our  particular  artist  to  be  no 
gay  tourist,  doing  Europe  according  to  guide-books, 
with  perhaps  a  few  lessons,  here  and  there,  taken 
only  for  the  name  of  having  been  the  pupil  of 
some  distinguished  master,   but  a  thoroughly  ear- 


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STUDYING   ART  ABROAD. 


Just  as  naturally  will  one  who  seeks  instruction 
in  water-color  figures  and  landscapes  turn  toward 
London,  though  the  Roman  painters  possess  a 
fine,  strong  style  in  the  former  subject  which  can- 
not be  overlooked.  However,  as  every  one  knows, 
England's  art  speciality  is  water-colors,  of  which 
the  summer  exhibitions  give  sufficient  proof. 

Also  china  painting  and  decorative  art  in  gen- 
eral flourish  in  the  big  city  which  is  acknowledged 
the  great  picture-market  of  the  world,  and  this  last 
fact  may  be  of  some  importance  to  an  artist  if  re- 
duced to  making  pot-boilers,  as  the  saying,  "  Live 
in  Paris,  but  sell  in  London,"  was  long  ago  adopted 
by  painters  of  all  nations. 

Let  us  conclude,  then,  that  each  of  the  foregoing 
considerations  has  been  well  thought  of,  and  after 
due  deliberation  and  all  possible  study  accom- 
plished before  starting,  that  our  lady  artist  decides 
on  a  year  abroad,  and  begins  preparations  in  good 
earnest. 

She  proceeds  to  select  a  large,  light  trunk,  one 
of  French  manufacture  if  possible ;  for  those  of 
American  make  are  very  heavy  and  not  proportion- 
ately strong,  and  as  every  pound  in  weight  is  an 
added  item  of  expense  in  travelling,  this  becomes 
a  subject  worthy  some  consideration      Then  pack- 


EN  ROUTE. 


ing  closely,  rolling  and  pinning  every  article  that 
can  be  rolled  and  pinned,  puts  in  plenty  of  old  un- 
derclothes and  but  few  dresses,  a  strong  travelling 
suit  and  a  black  silk  being  the  only  important  cos- 
tumes. I  say  old  underclothes,  because  the  grime 
of  London  and  the  acid  used  by  all  Parisian  blan- 
chisseuses  soon  rot  and  spoil  anything  delicate 
or  nicely  trimmed,  and  as  the  old  things  become 
too  thin  for  use,  but  invaluable  as  paint-rags  '(which 
artists  so  often  have  to  buy),  they  are  easily  replaced 
by  ready-made  strong  ones  at  small  expense. 

If  the  trunk  is  too  high  for  sliding  under  the 
berth  of  the  state-room,  and  our  artist  is  sufficiently 
sensible  to  prefer  going  in  light  marching  order 
on  all  occasions,  she  can  take  only  a  commodious 
hand-bag  and  shawl-strap,  letting  the  trunk  go 
below  in  the  hold.  The  first-named  should  contain 
the  necessary  changes  of  linen,  paper  collars  and 
cuffs  (if  she  is  not  too  proud  to  wear  such),  which, 
like  Japanese  handkerchiefs,  do  not  require  wash- 
ing, a  dressing-case  of  toilet  articles  to  hang  up  and 
sway  with  the  motion  of  the  vessel,  gloves,  veils, 
and  little  things,  while  into  the  shawl-strap  should 
be  rolled  a  thick  wrap,  water-proof,  flannel  gown, 
books  to  read  on  the  passage,  and  overflowings  from 
the  bag. 


10  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

This  comprises  all  that  is  strictly  needed  for  a 
voyage  of  twelve  days  across  the  Atlantic,  though' 
the  addition  of  fruit  or  a  supply  of  preserved  ginger 
to  be  eaten  in  the  watches  of  the  night  will  be 
found  a  refreshing  luxury,  not  always  to  be  obtained 
on  board. 

If  not  the  possessor  of  a  steamer  chair,  I  should 
advise  not  buying  one  on  the  American  side,  where 
the  cost  is  from  ten  dollars  upwards,  and  being  by  no 
means  indispensable,  any  one  economically  inclined 
will  defer  purchasing  until  the  return  trip,  when 
very  pretty  folding  chairs  of  dark  wood,  suitable 
even  for  parlor  use  afterward,  can  be  procured  from 
Tottenham  Court  Road  furnishing  shops,  London, 
or  in  Liverpool,  on  going  to  the  steamer,  at  the  low 
price  of  ten  to  fifteen  shillings. 

Everything,  then,  being  ready,  our  artist  takes 
passage  on  a  "  Cunarder,"  if  she  prefers  safety,  or 
requires  the  protecting  care  of  a  gallant  English 
captain  ;  but  if  economy  is  an  object  she  will  try  the 
"  Anchor,"  "  National,"  or  "  Guion  Line,"  where  a 
deck  state-room,  for  $60,  will  be  found  most  airy 
and  comfortable,  and,  accepting  what  letters  and 
addresses  are  offered  her,  push  bravely  off,  to  begin 
her  art  studies  in  the  Old  World. 

Supposing,  then,  water-colors  to  be  her  aim  and 


EN  ROUTE.  II 


London  her  destination,  she  arrives  at  the  Liver- 
pool wharf,  perhaps  at  night,  and  decides  to  save 
hotel  bills  by  remaining  on  board  the  boat  until 
morning  ;  but  if  eager  to  leave  the  narrow  quarters, 
where  possibly  she  has  known  much  misery  during 
the  voyage,  she  drives  either  to  the  hotel  at  the 
Lime  Street  Station,  to  go  directly  through  to  the 
metropolis,  or,  as  I  should  suggest,  to  the  Great 
Western  Hotel,  which  is  at  the  terminus  of  the  rail- 
road, by  which  she  leaves  the  next  morning  for 
Chester,  as  the  first  stopping-place  of  a  most 
interesting  detour,  including  Stratford,  Warwick, 
Kenilworth,  and  Leamington.  If  she  has  from  two 
to  three  pounds  in  money  to  spare,  and  decides  to 
make  this  little  trip,  she  will,  before  leaving  the 
hotel,  repack  the  bag,  and  if  possible  put  the  con- 
tents of  the  shawl-strap  into  the  trunk  (which,  left 
in  care  of  the  baggage-master,  in  return  for  a  few 
pence  and  the  receipt,  will  be  forwarded  to  any 
London  address  on  her  writing  for  it),  and  start, 
with  art  materials  prepared  and  bag  in  hand,  but 
otherwise  unencumbered  with  luggage,  for  historical 
ground. 

In    tnus   accomplishing    the    distance   between 
Liverpool  and  London,  one  includes  perhaps  the 


12  STUDYING   ART  ABROAD. 

greatest  number  of  places  of  interest,  as  well  as 
fine  subjects  for  an  artist's  pencil  as  can  be  found 
in  any  circuit  of  England ;  and  three  days  with  two 
nights  enjoyed  en  route  need  cost  but  little  and 
be  found  truly  delightful. 

Of  course  this  limited  time  admits  only  of  a 
broad,  rapid  manner  of  sketching,  which,  however, 
often  results  profitably,  most  of  the  subjects  being 
of  a  particularly  salable  description,  and  even  rough 
suggestive  bits  in  color  proving  interesting  to 
those  persons  who  have  never  visited  the  spots. 

But  our  artist  could  be  very  busy  and  happy  in 
these  little  towns  for  any  length  of  time,  although, 
as  this  whole  district  is  so  much  travelled  and 
familiar  to  all,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  note 
here  a  few  items  not  found  in  any  guide-book. 

Arriving,  then,  at  Chester,  one  takes  the  omnibus 
from  the  station  for  "  The  Blossoms,"  a  little  inn  just 
outside  the  old  walls  of  the  town  and  in  dangerous 
proximity  for  the  lover  of  bric-a-brac  to  many  shops 
which,  among  other  attractions,  contain  fine  old 
chests  and  chairs  in  carved  black  oak,  to  be  bought 
for  half  the  cost  demanded  in  London  or  Paris  for 
the  same  articles.  And  these  the  venders  will 
forward,  without  extra  charge,  to  any  address  on 
the  island. 


EN  ROUTE.  13 


Every  painter  knows  the  value  of  this  antique 
furniture,  and  how  indispensable  is  an  imposing 
arm-chair  in  which  to  place  the  sitter  to  advantage 
for  a  portrait,  though  the  striking  griffins  or 
scroll  ornamentation  of  such  become  monotonous 
if  too  often  repeated  in  pictures,  particularly  when 
many  studies  by  the  same  hand  are  collected 
together,  —  this  being  very  noticeable  of  a  certain 
rich  gilded  chair,  the  top  of  which  appeared  above 
the  shoulder  of  hundreds  of  sitters,  from  that  of 
the  late  Pope  of  Rome  to  Bismarck  and  plain  Miss 
A.,  simply  because  from  familiarity  the  painter 
could  accomplish  such  details  quickly  and  effec- 
tively with  a  few  strokes. 

After  enjoying  the  fine  views  from  the  old  walls 
and  ivy-hung  towers  of  Chester,  one  finds  much 
that  is  interesting  along  its  quaint  streets,  lined 
with  picturesque  houses,  here  and  there  displaying 
a  facade  richly  and  elaborately  carved,  well  worth 
some  hours  spent  in  careful  work  with  pencil  or 
brush  before  leaving  for  Stratford.  Here,  after  tak- 
ing a  room  at  the  "  Shakespeare  Arms,"  one  strolls 
to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  which  is  the  most 
advantageous  spot  for  booking  the  gray  stone  church 
amid  the  great  trees  on  the  water's  edge,  so  famous 
for  containing  the  poet's  bones.     Then  following 


14  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

the  pretty  paths,  leading  through  stiles  and  across 
green  meadows,  one  finds  Anne  Hathaway' s  cottage, 
with  its  mossy,  sloping  roof,  and  delights  in  attack- 
ing so  charming  a  subject  at  once,  not  forgetting  to 
secure  a  line  descriptive  of  the  "  Courting  Settle," 
as  it  is  called,  near  the  great  chimney  of  the  interior. 
But  the  latter  must  be  caught  surreptitiously,  as  well 
as  a  sketch  of  the  boy's  desk  shown  at  the  poet's 
house,  this  liberty  not  being  allowed  a  visitor,  though 
money  has  been  known  to  make  the  guardian  tem- 
porarily blind  to  such  an  innovation  of  the  rules. 
Next  on  the  main  route,  from  which  one  deviates 
slightly  to  reach  Stratford,  comes  Warwick,  and 
here  life  can  be  made  truly  ideal  by  boarding  at  the 
baker's  for  an  absurdly  low  price,  instead  of  follow- 
ing all  the  world  to  the  "Warwick  Arms."  From 
this  humble  abode,  each  morning  sees  our  artist,  at 
an  early  hour,  starting,  with  color-box  in  hand,  to 
wander  about  the  little  town  or  to  spend  the  day  in 
the  ruined  castle  of  Kenilworth. 

From  the  fine,  long  windows,  over  which  the 
vines  festoon  themselves  in  graceful  curves,  and  the 
crumbling  walls  with  winding  stairs  marked  "  Dan- 
gerous Climbing"  (immediately  prompting  one  to 
mount,  regardless  of  risk,)  to  the  great  round  tower 
of  warm-toned  stone-work,  all  form  charming  bits 


EN  ROUTE.  15 


for  the  sketch-book.  There  is  a  perfect  quiet,  even 
solemnity,  pervading  the  place,  which  is  most  con- 
ducive to  good  work,  and  keeps  one's  thoughts  con- 
stantly busy  with  the  events  of  the  past,  seeing  Amy 
Robsart  escaping  by  the  little  postern  gate,  as  she 
fled  only  to  meet  her  death  at  Cumnor  Hall,  or  Eliz- 
abeth amid  her  brilliant  train,  Leicester  at  her  side, 
riding  forth  with  hawk  and  hound,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  great  arch,  to  scour  the  beautiful  country  of 
Warwickshire. 

I  think  no  one  will  consider  time  spent  at  Kenil- 
worth  as  wasted,  for  though  by  no  means  the  most 
picturesque  ruin  in  England,  some  of  the  abbeys 
and  cathedrals  being  infinitely  finer,  yet  here  there 
is  a  certain  indescribable  charm  which  forcibly 
attracts  and  detains  -the  visitor. 

Many  people  think  to  have  seen  Warwick 
thoroughly  without  ever  finding  Leicester  Hospital, 
which  is  an  interesting  charity,  founded  by  the 
renowned  earl,  for  twelve  old  men  ;  and  it  is  most 
amusing  to  be  shown  the  twelve  little  rooms,  with 
their  twelve  beds,  twelve  coal-bins,  twelve  plates, 
and  even  twelve  coffee-pots  steaming  away  on  the 
kitchen  stove,  round  which  are  placed  twelve  ar  m- 
chairs,  suggesting  a  pleasant  picture  of  twelve  old 
men  sitting  comfortably  smoking  their  twelve  clay 
pipes. 


l6  STUDYING   ART  ABROAD. 

A  fine  chapel  and  quaint  minister's  .house  adjo  n 
the  main  building  with  its  many-gabled  roof,  and 
when  after  a  hard  day  of  painting,  sitting  in  the 
court-yard,  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  invited  by 
the  clergyman  to  see  the  interior  of  his  home,  .which 
is  very  ancient,  I  took  advantage  of  the  occasion  to 
ask  why  the  present  earl  did  not  found  a  like  com- 
fortable home  for  twelve  old  women. 

If  an  artist  lingers  here  late  enough  into  Septem- 
ber, what  is  called  the  "  Runaway  Mop"  may  afford 
much  that  is  novel ;  for  at  this  time,  servants  in 
search  of  places  and  masters  in  search  of  servants 
meet  to  form  new  engagements  for  the  coming 
year ;  and  this  is  made  the  occasion  for  reviving 
many  old  customs  quite  obsolete  elsewhere.  A 
whole  ox  is  roasted  over  an  immense  fire  in  the 
market-place,  and  one  has  but  to  demand  a  six- 
penny or  shilling  plate  to  receive  a  deliciously 
juicy  slice  of  tender  beef,  which,  eaten  under  the 
great  trees,  amid  the  amusing  scenes  p  issing  around, 
has  a  peculiar  relish. 

This  festival  unfortunately,  however,  is  apt  to  fall 
upon  St.  Swetchin's  week,  which  is  thought,  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  never  to  fail  of  bringing  much 
rain ;  and  certainly  it  would  be  niost  disastrous  to 
a  sketching  expedition,  unless  our  artist,  like  Mr. 


EN  ROUTE.  17 


Hamerton,  possesses  a  tent  containing  glass  win- 
dows, through  which,  undisturbed  by  the  elements, 
all  effects,  in  rainy  as  well  as  fair  weather,  may  be 
transmitted  to  paper  or  canvas. 

Leamington,  after  reading  Hawthorne's  charming 
descriptions  of  his  walks  and  pleasant  life  in  the 
town,  cannot  be  entirely  overlooked,  though  the 
waters  make  it  rather  too  fashionable  a  resort  in 
the  season  for  one  of  quiet  tastes.  Even  if  the 
pretty  river  Leam,  with  its  arched  bridges,  prove 
attractive,  the  place,  as  a  whole,  will  not  be  found 
so  convenient  for  excursions  as  Warwick,  which  is 
more  central.  This  I  discovered  on  my  second  visit, 
and  proved  still  further  on  a  third,  so  I  mention  it 
for  the  benefit  of  any  party  wanting  to  accomplish 
much  art  work  in  a  limited  time,  by  bringing  away 
many  pleasing  reminders  of  this  not  only  eminently 
historical,  but  charmingly  picturesque  district. 

With  a  last  chime  from  Warwick  bells  ringing  in 
the  ears,  an  artist  regretfully  takes  the  train  for 
smoky  London,  and  passing  Oxford  with  its  many 
steeples,  after  a  look  at  Windsor  Castle,  at  length 
enters  the  great  Paddington  Station,  or,  by  mak- 
ing a  change  at  Rugby,  steams  into  Euston  Station, 
which  is  much  nearer  the  West  Centre,  and  saves 
one  a  long  cab  drive. 


IS  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

On  a  trip  like  this,  a  lady  can  very  properly 
travel  second,  or  even  third  class,  during  the  sum- 
mer, finding  the  latter  carriages  much  cooler  and 
better  ventilated  than  the  stuffy  ones  of  the  first, 
though  the  seats  are  entirely  without  cushions,  and 
on  a  long  journey  by  an  express  train  apt  to  be 
crowded,  and  this  makes  the  difference  in  price  of 
tickets  very  great. 

The  railroad  regulations  and  order  in  Europe  are 
so  complete  that  an  unprotected  woman  has  no 
trouble  in  getting  on,  as  she  finds  herself  the  espe- 
cial charge  of  the  officials,  until  handed  to  a  cab  by 
a  civil  porter,  with  her  much-belabelled  luggage 
safely  piled  on  the  roof. 


LONDON.  19 


CHAPTER    II. 


LONDON. 


Perhaps  our  traveller  has  had  the  forethought  to 
mail  at  Oueenstown  a  letter  to  the  hostess  of  some 
desirable  address,  and  so  on  reaching  the  city,  and 
slipping  fourpence  into  a  porter's  hand  to  see  any 
luggage  put  aboard  a  cab,  pays  a  shilling  fare,  with 
two  pence  extra  for  a  trunk,  and  reaches  the  des- 
tination at  once. 

But  the  distances  in  London  are  so  very  great, 
that  one  must  consider  well  how  to  be  near  the 
chosen  work  or  master,  before  settling  for  any 
length  of  time. 

If  the  Kensington  Museum  or  Art  School  is  not 
the  desired  object,  it  has  been  the. experience  of 
many  that  the  West  Centre  was  a  central,  respec- 
table, and  cheap  quarter  for  an  artist.  It  is  full  of 
boarding-houses,  which,  however,  be  it  remembered, 
are  seldom,  in  England,  as  comfortable,  clean,  and 


20  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

well  furnished  as  in  America ;  yet  by  search,  a 
large,  desirable  room  can  be  found  with  full  board 
for  thirty  shillings  ($6.00)  a  week,  or  a  smaller  room 
for  less. 

During  the  season,  from  May  to  August,  prices 
are  all  much  higher  than  for  the  rest  of  the  year, 
and  houses  very  full,  so  it  becomes  difficult  to  obtain 
immediately  what  one  wishes,  for  little  money. 

A  plan,  however,  often  resorted  to  by  students 
and  found  to  be  most  economical,  is  to  hire  two 
furnished  rooms,  perhaps  a  large  one  on  the  first 
♦floor  to  serve  as  studio  or  parlor,  with  a  smaller  one 
above  for  sleeping,  the  two  costing  eighteen  shil- 
lings per  week,  I  will  say,  and  the  lady  of  the  house 
providing  meals  as  one  orders  them  at  a  very  rea- 
sonable price,  including  service. 

Allowing  our  artist  to  be  of  a  social  nature  and 
inclined  to  accept  many  dinner  invitations  among 
friends,  this  arrangement  affords  not  only  the  free- 
dom of  a  private  parlor,  with  enjoyment  of  more 
room  and  greater  choice  of  food,  but  costs  little,  if 
any,  more  than  the  thirty  shillings  to  be  paid  at  a 
boarding-house.  Although  it  has  the  disadvantage, 
if  one's  circle  of  acquaintance  is  small,  of  becoming 
rather  a  lonely  life,  unless  the  student  forms  one  of 
a  party,  particularly  as  painting  should  not  be  con- 


LONDON.  21 


tinucd  in  the  evening,  when  tired  brain  and  eyes 
need  rest.  At  such  times  and  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  constantly  changing  society  met  with 
in  a  London  pension  proves  a  source  of  great  enter- 
tainment. 

Let  it  be  supposed,  then,  that  our  artist  is  settled 
in  lodgings  or  at  board  in  Russell,  Gordon,  Bedford, 
or  any  of  the  pretty  squares  of  Bloomsbury,  and 
looking  about  for  masters,  or  to  find  what  the  art 
advantages  are  in  general,  before  beginning  to  study 
seriously. 

There  is  the  National  Gallery  within  reasonable 
walking  distance,  for  though  an  omnibus  from  Tot- 
tingham  Court  Road  runs  directly  to  Trafalgar 
Square,  yet  I  should  advise  any  one  wanting  to 
paint  from  early  until  late,  and  to  whom  exercise 
must  consequently  become  a  necessity,  to  save  doc-0 
tor's  bills  and  cab  fares  by  accomplishing  the  trip 
morning  and  evening  on  foot. 

Nowhere,  I  acknowledge,  is  driving  so  cheap,  yet 
if  often  indulged  in,  a  hansom  makes  an  important 
item  in  the  year's  expenses,  and  though  the  most 
direct  route  to  the  gallery  leads  one  through  the 
well-known,  disreputable  quarter  of  the  "  Seven 
Dials,"  it  is  a  great  thoroughfare,  and  perfectly  safe 
for  a  lady  by  daylight.     Besides,  one  meets  people 


22  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

and  catches  glimpses  of  a  life  nowhere  else  likely 
to  be  encountered,  which  remind  the  passer  of  a 
chapter  from  Dickens,  for  here  are  the  Olivers, 
Sairy  Gamps,  and  Pecksniffs  who  seem  like  old 
friends,  and  even  real  Fagins  occasionally  emerge 
from  the  dingy  little  shops  where  many  a  stolen 
article  is  on  sale. 

To  some  people,  this  first  sight  of  a  poverty,  vice, 
and  misery  of  which  one  before  could  form  no  ade- 
quate conception,  proves  most  startlingly  interest- 
ing ;  but  of  course,  a  young  American  lady  in 
London  would  oftener  give  the  preference  to  other 
streets. 

The  National  is  thought  to  contain  finer  speci- 
mens of  the  various  schools  and  periods  in  art  than 
perhaps  any  collection  in  Europe,  and  therefore 
becomes  invaluable  to  a  painter  for  careful  study. 
Two  days  of  each  week  it  is  open  only  to  copyists, 
and  an  application  to  the  director,  who,  since  Mr. 
Wornum's  death,  is,  I  believe,  Sir  Edward  Eastlake, 
by  letter,  has  heretofore  been  sufficient  to  gain 
admission  at  that  time.  But  since  a  young  and 
rather  idle  set  have,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the 
more  serious,  pretended  to  work  there,  examples  of 
an  applicant's  ability  maybe  demanded  in  addition. 

After   the    Italian,  Spanish,  and   Dutch  rooms, 


LONDON.  .  23 


perhaps  the  visitor  will  turn  with  some  interest  to 
the  "  Liber  Studiorum,"  and  three  hundred  lovely 
water-colors  by  Turner,  varying  in  style  from  strik- 
ing effects  in  the  Alps  done  on  gray  paper  with 
body  color,  to  the  exquisitely  finished  vignettes 
designed  as  illustrations  to  Rogers's  "  Italy,"  Camp- 
bell's Poems,  and  "Rivers  of  France."  The  for- 
mer are  hung  in  a  small  room  of  the  gallery,  acces- 
sibly low  for  study,  while  the  latter  three  hundred 
are  locked  in  cabinets  below,  where  a  fire  is  always 
burning  to  prevent  any  dampness.  Of  these,  only 
twelve  are  allowed  to  be  brought  above  for  copying 
at  any  one  time,  and  for  this  privilege  a  note  of 
permission  is  necessary  to  the  especial  guardian, 
Mr.  Paine,  who  has  the  sole  charge  of  them.  As 
they  are  always  in  great  demand,  it  is  well  worth 
while  to  secure  the  precedence  by  being  before  the 
big  doors  in  Trafalgar  Square  at  the  time  of  open- 
ing ;  this  analysis  of  Turner's  work  often  proving 
more  profitable  to  a  student  of  water-colors  than 
any  lessons  from  a  living  master  at  a  guinea  an 
hour. 

The  Venetian  views  in  oils,  also,  of  a  later  period, 
are  excellent  for  copying  in  water-colors,  and  have 
a  most  charming  effect,  for  in  these  Turner  seems 
to  have  painted  thinly  on  a  solid  white  ground,  so 


24  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

suggesting  the  more  delicate  medium  that  one  is 
quite  deceived  at  the  first  sight,  the  glass  over  them 
only  adding  to  the  illusion,  though  some  of  these 
"  beautiful  dreams,"  as  Mr.  Hamerton  so  truly  calls 
them,  are  too  sadly  faded  to  be  considered  much 
more  than  suggestions  in  color. 

Sometimes  one  sees  good  painting  done  by  the 
copyists,  who  at  a  moderate  cost  will  give  instruc- 
tion on  the  spot  to  a  pupil  wishing  such  help. 

Beside  the  Turners,  in  the  English  Department 
there  are  the  Lawrences,  Gainsboroughs,  Landseers, 
Wilkies,  Ettys,  and  Friths,  which  all  claim  atten- 
tion, so  that  a  visitor  can  study  the  progress  of 
painting  from  Cimabue  to  Rosa  Bonheur  with 
greater  advantage  in  this  collection,  perhaps,  than 
anywhere  else,  in  spite  of  the  contrary  opinion 
expressed  by  a  party  of  French  and  Spanish  artists 
at  a  breakfast  in  Paris,  —  that  the  gems  of  the  Na- 
tional Gallery  were  but  copies,  Turner  a  madman, 
and  the  English  School  in  general  unworthy  con- 
sideration. 

There  are  the  Kensington  and  Bcthnal  Green 
loan  exhibitions  also,  as  well  as  the  little  Soane 
Museum  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  where  one  can 
copy  quite  undisturbed  by  sight-seers,  it  being  little 
known  or  frequented,  though  a  curiously  interest- 


LONDON.  25 


ing  place  of  sliding  doors  and  mysterious  panels. 
It  is  only  a  few  steps  from  Bloomsbury,  the  chosen 
quarter  of  our  student. 

The  Duke  of  Westminster,  who  possesses  the 
famous  "  Blue  Boy  "  by  Gainsborough,  Lord  Dud- 
ley of  Park  Lane,  and  many  other  private  collectors 
are  said  to  be  notedly  generous  in  allowing  an  art- 
ist (presenting  proper  credentials)  many  privileges. 
Naturally  the  Grosvenor  Gallery  and  numerous  an- 
nual exhibitions  of  various  societies  and  clubs  will 
be  visited  during  the  season,  especially  by  one  in 
search  of  instruction  in  water-colors,  as  by  this 
means  is  often  found,  not  only  the  style  desired, 
but,  by  consulting  the  catalogue,  the  address  of  a 
competent  teacher. 

And  let  me  recommend  to  any  student  wanting 
to  acquire  a  very  frank,  vigorous  method  of  sketch- 
ing from  nature  to  see  Mr.  Bomford  (whose  name 
I  give  in  the  list  farther  on)  and  his  work,  which 
possesses  the  essential  qualities  of  strength  and 
purity  necessary  to  all  good  water-color  painting. 
His  manner,  too,  of  representing  foliage  is  broad 
and  striking,  so  that  if  one  only  went  through  a 
course  in  this  branch,  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Bomford's 
criticism  would  be  invaluable.  He  is  willing  to 
receive  pupils,  and  will  even  go  out  with  a  class 


26  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

before  nature,  to  lessen  the  many  difficulties  which 
always  confront  a  beginner,  by  a  wise  choice  of 
subject  and  practical  application  of  studio  rules  to 
out-door  practice.  His  terms  are  very  moderate, 
being  three  lessons  for  one  guinea,  with  loan  of 
excellent  studies  to  be  copied  at  home.  To  reach 
the  address  in  St.  John's  Wood  one  has  but  to  cross 
Regent's  Park  from  the  West  Centre  of  London. 
Though  a  student  might  even  think  it  worth  while 
to  engage  board  for  several  months  in  Maida  Vale, 
where  the  rate  would  probably  be  lower  than  in 
the  city  proper.  All  that  part  of  St.  John's  Wood 
is  attractive  and  the  site  of  many  elegant  residences, 
a  little  cottage  among  these,  almost  hidden  by  trees, 
being  the  home  of  Mr.  Greene,  a  fine  colorist,  and 
the  former  teacher  of  Mr.  Bomford,  lessons  from 
whom  may  be  preferred  to  any  from  the  latter,  al- 
though having  a  more  established  reputation  makes 
Mr.  Greene's  charges  somewhat  higher. 

I  have  made  especial  note  of  the  method  of  paint- 
ing of  these  gentlemen,  as  one  rarely  sees  the  more 
old-fashioned,  or  what  might  be  called  legitimate 
water-color,  the  present  English  school  having  very 
generally  adopted  the  use  of  white,  which  gives  fine 
atmospheric  effects,  it  is  true,  and  adds  brilliancy  to 
foreground  touches,  but  too  often  has  the  solidity 


LONDON.  27 


of  a  chromo,  as  in  Mr.  Ronbotham's  Italian  views 
of  places  he  never  saw,  or  many  of  Birket  Foster's 
pictures,  and  destroys  all  transparency,  which  to 
some  art  lovers  is  the  chief  beauty  of  a  water-color. 
To  such,  the  sketches  of  the  above-named  masters 
will  afford  infinite  pleasure,  and  a  trip  to  Maida  Vale 
not  be  without  profit. 

After  the  Royal  Academy  School,  where  it  is 
exceedingly  difficult  to  gain  admittance,  if  an  ap- 
plicant can  pass  the  examination  at  the  Slade 
School,  Gower  Street,  the  course  of  instruction  will 
prove  a  most  thorough  one,  with  the  advantage  to 
those  wishing  to  study  the  figure  of  having  excel- 
lent life  models.  The  rooms  are  large,  well  venti- 
lated, and  well  lighted  not  only  by  day,  but  also  at 
night,  so  that  every  facility  necessary  for  improve- 
ment is  supplied,  though  the  terms  make  six  months 
or  a  year  of  study  rather  expensive.  A  Frenchman 
is  at  the  head  of  this  institution,  and  under  his 
supervision  etching  has  been  very  successfully 
taken  up  by  many  of  the  pupils,  at  the  same  time 
with  the  other  branches. 

A  circular  stating  requirements  and  all  details 
can  be  obtained  of  the  curator  in  the  building. 

There  is  also  the  Kensington  Art  School,  con- 
nected with  the    Kensington    Museum,  about  the 


28  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

merits  of  which  one  hears  such  different  opinions 
from  the  best  authorities  that  a  student  must  visit 
it  in  person,  and  examine  the  general  course  pur- 
sued, in  order  to  form  an  independent  judgment. 

A  few  ladies  who  remember  the  Boston  School 
of  Design  some  years  ago,  and  were  fortunate 
enough  to  belong  to  the  class  under  the  able  and 
inspiring  teaching  of  Mr.  Salisbury  Tuckerman, 
know  the  method  to  have  been  nearly  the  same  as 
that  pursued  at  Kensington  ;  and  such  saw  with 
great  regret  that,  for  want  of  proper  support  at  the 
right  time,  the  school  in  Temple  Place  had  to  be 
given  up,  as  it  would  have  afforded  Bostonians  the 
best  art  advantages.  For  it  was  not,  as  the  name 
would  suggest,  merely  industrial  in  character,  like 
the  present  system  of  Mr.  Walter  Smith,  and  was 
of  far  more  breadth  and  earnestness  than  any- 
thing found  at  the  Lowell  Free  School,  where 
good  work  is  almost  an  impossibility  in  the 
crowded,  narrow  rooms,  that,  spite  of  an  ever-in- 
creasingly  rich  fund,  are  the  only  accommodation 
for  the  students.  The  School  of  Design  seemed 
exactly  the  happy  medium  which  best  answered 
to  the  common  need. 

But  to  leave  Boston  and  return  to  London,  men- 
tion must  be  made  of  a  class  under  the  instruction 


LONDON.  29 


of  Mr.  Heatberly  in  Newman  Street,  where  excel- 
lent casts  from  the  antique  are  provided,  as  well 
as  the  living  draped  model  for  oil  or  water  colors, 
at  an  exceedingly  moderate  price.  In  Queen's 
Square,  Bloomsbury,  is  a  rather  elementary  school 
for  women,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Princess  of 
Wales,  who  offers  certain  prizes  for  the  best  work 
done  in  the  various  classes,  and  of  this  there  is  an 
annual  exhibition,  which,  to  confess  the  honest 
truth,  does  not  strike  the  visitor,  from  its  standard 
of  merit,  as  surprisingly  creditable  to  the  royal 
patroness. 

I  believe  I  have  now  named  most  of  the  places 
which  have  any  special  claim  to  attention  where  a 
new-comer  would  seek  art  instruction  in  London, 
and  all  of  these,  with  the  exception  of  the  Kensing- 
ton School,  are  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  Bloomsbury,  though  naturally  there  are  many 
delightful  private  clubs  and  classes  accessible  to 
an  artist  only  through  the  influence  of  friends. 

While  fog  and  mud  may  still  keep  one  at  work  in 
doors  and  amid  city  life,  two  or  three  days  of  each 
week  can  be  most  profitably  employed  in  sketch- 
ing under  the  beautiful  arches  of  Westminster 
Abbey.  Nothing  can  be  more  imposingly  grand 
than  the  Henry  Seventh  Chapel,  with  its  old  carv- 


30  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

ing  and  massive  doors,  the  tattered  banners  of 
so  many  noble  families,  and  the  ceiling  of  won- 
derful fan-shaped  tracery.  Everything,  from  the 
great  chair  where  so  many  monarchs  have  been 
crowned,  to  the  little,  narrow  door  of  St.  John 
the  Baptist's  Chapel,  with  its  faded  Latin  inscrip- 
tion, is  full  of  deep  interest,  while  the  sunlight, 
creeping  softly  in  through  the  fine  stained  win- 
dows, glorifies  even  the  dimmest  corner  and  makes 
a  constant  succession  of  lovely  pictures. 

Sometimes,  while  painting  in  the  solemn  quiet, 
one  hears  rising  above  the  deep  tones  of  the 
great  organ,  the  chanting  of  the  sweet-voiced 
choir  boys,  and  wonders  if  there  is  in  existence 
finer  interior  architecture,  or  a  church  more  sym- 
patica  (as  the  Italians  would  say)  than  this  beautiful 
abbey. 

Nor  must  the  cloisters  be  passed  with  indiffer- 
ence, where  the  fine  lines  of  the  massive  supports 
form  a  capital  frame  for  the  towers  of  the  Hojuses 
of  Parliament  rising  beyond,  and  make  most  effec- 
tive sketches. 

Permission  for  working  there  is  granted  by  the 
Dean  of  Westminster  to  any  American  who  can 
refer  to  a  member  of  Parliament,  or  clergyman  of- 
the  Church  of  England,  for  a  testimonial  of  good 


LOXDON.  31 


character,  and  guarantee  that  this  great  privilege 
will  in  no  way  be  abused. 

But  when  the  pleasant  season  approaches,  the 
student  will  want  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air,  and  turn 
frcm  chilly  churches  toward  the  lovely  environs,  to 
which  trains,  omnibuses,  and  ferry-boats  (the  latter 
affording  much  that  is  picturesque  on  the  way) 
quickly  transport  one. 

Windsor,  then,  seems  to  come  first  on  the  pro- 
gramme of  artist  or  sight-seer,  and  generally  proves 
most  interesting,  for  after  visiting  the  castle  and 
fine  old  chapel,  by  crossing  the  river  and  turning 
to  the  right,  just  behind  the  red  walls  of  Eton  Col- 
lege, one  catches  a  good  view  of  the  great  round 
tower  on  the  height,  with  river  and  boats  in  the 
foreground,  for  filling  a  leaf  of  the  sketch-book; 
and  the  drive  to  Virginia  Water  makes  a  delight- 
ful ending  to  a  summer  day,  before  going  back  to 
London.  Hampton  Court,  too,  with  its  picture 
gallery  and  lovely  Bushy  Park,  are  attractive  places 
for  excursions,  of  which  the  labyrinth  and  donkey 
races  form  no  unimportant  feature. 

Pretty  new  gardens  and  the  fine  view  from  the 
terrace  at  Richmond  Park  are  to  be  seen,  where, 
from  the  deer  feeding  close  at  hand,  the  eye  fol- 
lows the  river  between  its  green  banks,  made  gay 


32  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

with  picnic  parties,  until  it  rests  on  that  beacon  for 
so  many  miles  around,  the  great  dome  of  St. 
Paul's. 

Some  people,  however,  prefer  Hampstead  Heath, 
made  famous  by  Copley,  Fielding,  Turner,  David 
Cox,  and  so  many  other  English  painters,  the 
extreme  beauty  of  its  distant  prospect  being  no- 
where equalled. 

It  is  a  pleasant  resort,  with  colors  and  lunch  in 
the  pocket,  for  wandering  about  or  sitting  under 
the  one  group  of  tall  pines,  to  try  putting  on  paper 
the  effect  of  London,  charmingly  hazy  in  the  dis- 
tance, or  the  shadow  of  fleeting  clouds  playing  over 
the  brilliant  green  of  the  surrounding  slopes.  Our 
artist  can  do  the  fashionable  thing  by  going  to 
Greenwich  to  eat  whitebait,  or  row  on  the  river 
to  Twickenham,  where  there  are  many  pretty 
bits  of  scenery,  and  just  above  the  bridges  plenty 
of  subjects  for  the  brush.  Clumsy  lumber-boats 
with  dull  yellow  sails  moored  along  the  Thames 
embankment,  flanked  by  immense  breweries,  — 
which,  surmounted  oftentimes  by  stone  lions  and 
striking  devices,  might  easily  be  mistaken  for 
palaces,  —  make  capital  compositions,  as  Dore 
has  so  powerfully  illustrated.  Or,  better  still,  take 
the  train  from  Shoreditch  Station  to  Angel  Road, 


LONDON.  33 


where,  after  a  walk  of  a  mile  between  flowery  hedges 
and  through  verdant  meadows,  the  lover  of  the  pic- 
turesque sees  with  delight  the  ruined  Norman 
tower  of  Chingford  Church. 

Descending  the  hill  from  this  crumbling  pile, 
standing  amid  the  time-stained  headstones  of  its 
little  graveyard,  by  traversing  a  part  of  Epping 
Forest,  lying  a  long  way  farther  on,  a  traveller  can 
drink  a  beaker  to  the  memory  of  old  Joe  Willett, 
at  the  veritable  "  Maypole  Inn,"  seated  at  the  table 
where  Dickens  himself  has  often  dined. 

Guildford,  too,  not  far  from  the  city,  has  quiet, 
attractive  scenery,  with  some  interesting  old  houses, 
and  Seven  Oaks,  in  Kent,  is  particularly  recom- 
mended for  its  many  beautiful  trees.  Clovelly  and 
Dartmore  take  artists  in  that  direction  ;  and  if  one 
ventures  as  far  as  the  uncertain  climate  of  Wales, 
Bettws-y-coed  is  said  to  be  the  most  favorable  spot 
on  which  to  pitch  a  painter  s  camp. 

After  some  of  these  country  excursions  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  occasionally  select  a  successful  study, 
and  try  one's  fate  at  the  hands  of  a  critical  jury,  say 
that  of  the  Dudley  Gallery,  for  instance.  Accept- 
ance of  a  picture  for  so  small  and  popular  a  collec- 
tion is  always  a  great  encouragement,  and  if  by 
good  chance  the  modest  student  finds,  on  a  first 
3 


34  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

visit,  a  black  star  affixed  to  the  frame  of  her  pro- 
duction, announcing  to  the  world  its  sale  at  the 
"  private  view,"  when  only  the  invited  few  are 
admitted,  such  a  happy  surprise  is  worth  making 
an  effort  to  enjoy.  A  famous  painter  once  said, 
"  Criticism  never  hurt  any  one,  but  praise  has 
spoiled  many  a  good  artist"  ;  and  on  this  principle, 
beginning  early  to  expose  one's  work,  and  taking 
success  or  failure  in  the  right  spirit,  seems  the 
surest  road  to  improvement.  Beside,  no  money 
ever  seems  so  entirely  one's  own,  or  to  last  as  long, 
as  any  thus  earned. 

Liverpool,  Manchester,  and  Birmingham  also 
have  excellent  exhibitions  during  the  summer, 
opening  just  after  that  at  the  Royal  Academy  is 
over,  and  have  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
places  for  selling  amateur  work.  For  England's 
greatest  art  patrons  are  not  the  noblemen,  as  a 
stranger  might  imagine,  but  the  rich  manufacturers 
and  tradespeople,  who  buy  pictures  freely,  and  pay 
most  generously  for  them. 


CLOTHES,  SHOPS,  AND  ADDRESSES.       35 


CHAPTER   III. 

CLOTHES,    SHOPS,    AND    ADDRESSES. 

Perhaps  after  six  months  or  more  of  painting, 
our  student  wishes  to  replenish  her  wardrobe,  and 
begins  to  haunt  the  shops,  and  wonder  which  are  the 
best  to  patronize,  and  where  a  good  dressmaker 
can  be  found.  If  so,  a  few  hints  on  these  points 
may  not  be  unwelcome  ;  for  even  to  a  busy,  econom- 
ical woman,  who  only  wishes  to  be  neatly  and  taste- 
fully dressed,  whether  at  work  or  play,  the  subject 
of  clothes  must  sometimes  become  a  necessary 
consideration. 

And  to  combine  beauty  with  cheapness  is 
always  found  to  be  difficult,  so  one  discovers  with 
satisfaction  that  substantial  cloth  of  all  kinds  and^„ 
dress  goods  cost  less  in  London  than  elsewhere 
There  is  little  taste  or  style,  to  be  sure,  shown  in 
any  of  the  ready-made  costumes  displayed  in  the  *> 
windows  at  such  reasonable  prices;  but  at  Howells 


36  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

&  James,  Regent  Street,  Peter  Robinson's,  Oxford 
Street,  or  through  court  and  theatre  furnishers, 
pretty  and  well-made  suits  can  be  obtained. 

Evidently  the  English  do  not,  like  American 
ladies,  believe  in  the  oft-quoted  remark,  thai 
"there  is  a  repose  in  being  well  dressed  that 
religion  fails  to  give,"  for  nowhere  is  the  so-called 
dowdy  as  frequently  encountered  as  in  the  great 
capital. 

A  certain  class  of  Londoners  express  a  praise- 
worthy disapproval  of  slavishly  imitating  fashions 
set  by  the  Parisian  demi-monde,  though  unfortu- 
nately, most  of  those  holding  this  opinion  entirely 
lack  the  eye  for  color  and  effect,  which,  without 
going  to  any  extreme,  can  produce  a  charming 
ensemble.  Perhaps,  then,  the  task  of  combining 
English  sense  with  French  taste  must  be  left  to 
my  countrywomen,  together  with  the  wearing  of 
water-proofs,  thick  boots,  and  heavy  materials,  so 
characteristic  of  the  former,  with  the  same  grace  as 
the  exquisite  but  less  durable  fabrics  of  the  latter. 

Possibly  our  student,  like  Miss  Hosmer,  loves 
art  much,  but  horses  more,  and  needs  a  new  habit, 
in  which  to  occasionally  take  a  turn  in  Rotten 
Row,  or  refresh  a  weary  head  by  a  ride  to  Rich- 
mond Park.     If  this  should  be  the  case,  she  will  go 


CLOTHES,   SHOPS,  AND  ADDRESSES.        37 

to  Wolmershausen,  Curzon  Street,  Mayfair,  and 
after  selecting  a  suitable  cloth,  is  shown  to  the 
fitting-room,  where,  summoned  by  a  bell,  a  gentle- 
manly individual  appears,  and,  somewhat  to  her 
surprise,  proceeds  in  a  business-like  manner  to 
take  the  necessary  measures.  On  a  second  visit 
she  mounts  a  life-size  rocking-horse,  and  endeavors 
to  find  a  flaw,  if  possible,  in  the  faultlessly  fitting 
garment,  the  skirt  of  which,  cut  with  a  peculiar 
gore  at  the  knee,  hangs  in  most  graceful  folds. 

Strange  as  it  seems  at  first  to  be  fitted  by  a 
man  instead  of  the  usual  deft  fingers  of  a  woman, 
yet  one  is  obliged  to  confess  that  the  result  proves 
him  to  be,  in  this  as  in  so  many  other  professions, 
the  more  clever  of  the  two. 

One  masterly  stroke  of  the  scissors,  forming 
what  is  known  as  the  "  Wolmershausen  gore,"  has 
alone  given  this  establishment  its  world-wide  repu- 
tation, though  not  only  habits,  but  every  descrip- 
tion of  costumes,  to  the  thinnest  ball-dress,  is  made 
here  in  an  equally  perfect  manner.  Consequently, 
though  the  first  cost  is  perhaps  somewhat  greater 
than  at  other  places,  patronage  of  the  Mayfair  firm 
will  in  the  end  prove  economical. 

A  beaver  riding  hat  for  a  lady,  also,  only  to  be  pur- 
chased in  the  United  States  for  seven  or  eight  dol- 


33  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

lars,  can  be  had  at  .Sparrow's  in  High  Holborn  for 
twelve  or  thirteen  shillings,  which  certainly  shows 
a  considerable  difference. 

Reliable  black  silks,  either  Bonnet  or  of  English 
manufacture,  must  be  sought  for  at  Hilditch's,  less 
being  demanded  for  the  former  by  this  house  than 
at  the  company's  establishment  in  Lyons,  it  has 
been  affirmed  by  travellers. 

The  India  Outfitting  Company  supplies  the  best 
of  ready-made  underclothes,  and  water-proof  cloth 
by  the  yard  ;  also  Scholbred  or  Bennet,  South- 
hampton Row,  the  most  substantial  hosiery  at 
reasonable  prices.  London  is  the  city  of  all  others 
in  which  to  buy  furs,  and  August  the  time  to  pay 
from  eight  to  twenty  guineas  and  become  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  long  sealskin  paletot  or  silk,  fur-lined 
circular  in  which  to  defy  the  -cold  of  many  Ameri- 
can winters. 

Bonnets,  ribbons,  feathers,  and  little  things  are 
spoken  of  as  presents  at  Whiteley's,  where  a  lunch 
too  is  offered  free  of  charge  to  any  one  making 
large  purchases,  after  the  style  of  the  cake  and 
sirop  given  ladies  at  the  Bon  Marche  in  Paris. 
But  to  any  one  of  thrifty  disposition,  with  patience 
enough  to  delay  buying  until  the  close  of  the  Lon- 
don season  (when  articles  of  every  description  are 


marked  down  to  the  lowest  figures),  shopping  will 
become  a  pleasure. 

A  resident  of  England  for  any  length  of  time 
will  undoubtedly  choose  the  "  Civil  Service "  or 
"  Army  and  Navy  stores "  as  being  preferable  to 
others  in  every  respect,  particularly  if  living  in 
lodgings  and  providing  for  one's  self,  when  a  ticket 
to  the  grocery  department  will  save  many  pence  in 
the  course  of  a  year,  and  the  quality  of  everything 
be  warranted. 

It  is  taken  for  granted  that  a  painter  will  not 
neglect  before  leaving  to  lay  in  a  large  stock  of 
water-colors,  from  Winsor  &  Newton's,  Rathbone 
Place,  as  such  are  so  much  more  expensive  else- 
where ;  also  paper  of  all  kinds,  whether  for  artistic 
or  literary  purposes. 

Mr.  Callen  will  do  any  framing  of  pictures  neatly 
and  cheaply,  or  act  as  exhibition  agent  if  desired 
to  do  so,  though  by  asking  for  a  Bowney  Catalogue 
at  any  color-shop,  all  dates  and  necessary  details 
can  be  obtained  for  attending  to  such  matters  with- 
out an  agent's  assistance. 

TEACHERS    OF   WATER-COLORS. 

Mr.  Naftil,  4  St.  Stephen's  Square,  Bayswater. 
Mr.  L.  G.  Bomford,   5   Lanark  Villas,  Maida  Vale,  St.   John's 
Wood,  W. 


40  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

Mr.  E.  Greene,  3  Circus  Road,  St.  John's  Wood. 

Mr.  Keween,-  Oakfield  House,    Park  Road,  Haverstock  Hill, 

N.  W. 
Mr.  R.  P.  Noble,  in  Charlotte  Street,  Fitzroy  Square. 
Mr.  READS,  Wells  Street,  from  Oxford  Street. 
Mr.  J.  Steeple,  18  Leighton  Crescent,  Brecknock  Road. 
Mr.  L  Carlisle,  56  Adelaide  Road,  Haverstock  Hill,  N.  W. 
Mr.  NEEDHAM,  Sunny  Side,  Sutton,  Surry. 
Miss   Charlotte  Phillot,    259    Stanhope   Street,   Mornington 

Crescent,  N.  W.     (For  heads  and  figures.) 

BOARDING   AND    LODGING  HOUSES. 

Miss  Hills,    14    Thayer    Street,   Manchester    Square.      (Prices 

high.) 
Miss  Jack,  9  Dorset  Square.     (Prices  high.) 
Miss  JiNCH,  82  and  84  Seymour  Street.     (Moderate.) 
Miss  Reddit,  86  Seymore  Street,  Hyde  Park. 
Miss  Flemings,  15  New  Cavendish  Street. 
Miss  Rutter,  9  Woburn  Place. 
Misses  Warner,  23  Torrington  Square.     (Cheap.) 
Mrs.  Wasley,  43  Upper  Bedford  Place.     (Clean,  and  very  reason- 
able.) 
Mrs.  Adams,  37  Somerset  Street,  Portman  Square  (ten  shillings 

for   room,   and  meals  as  one  orders),  25  and  59  Torrington 

Square.     (Excellent  lodgings.) 
Mr.  Burr,  ii  Queen's  Square,  23  Norfolk  Street,  Strand.     (Small 

hotel.) 
Mrs.  Brown,  Warwick.    (Can  be  heard  of  at  Timm's  bakers'  shop, 

Main  Street.) 
Miss   Wareham,   No.   3   Crosby  Terrace,   Leamington.      (Neat 

lodgings  and  excellent  food.) 
Mrs.  Piper,  156  Walton  Street,  Oxford. 
"  The  Blossoms,"  Chester. 
Shakespeare  Arms,  Stratford. 


CLOTHES,  SHOPS,  AND  ADDRESSES.       41 


'    SHOPS. 

Scott  Adies,  Regent  Street.     (For  water-proofs  ) 

Howell  &  James,  Regent  Street.     (For  dresses.) 

Peter  Robinson,  Oxford  Street.     (For  dresses.) 

Hilditch,  3  Cheapside.    (For  black  silks.) 

Scholbred's,  Tottenham  Court  Road.     (For  hosiery.) 

Cooke's,  71  Oxford  Street.     (For  furs.) 

Sparrow  &  Son,  66  High  Holborn.     (For  riding  hats.) 

India    Outfitting     Company,    Cheapside.     (For    ready-made 

underclothes.) 
Whiteley's,  Westbourne  Grove.    (For  bonnets,  ribbons,  etc.) 
Brodie  &  Middleton,  79  Long  Acre.     (For  cheap  art  materials.) 
C allen's,  12  Great  St.  Andrews  Street,  Bloomsbury.     (For  cheap 

frames.) 
Nytch  and  Wardour  Streets,  for  antiquity  shops. 
Covent  Garden  Market     (For  fine  flowers.) 
Civil    Service   Stores  or    Army   and    Navy    Shops.     (For    every 

description  of  article  and  provisions  at  strictly  just  prices,  but 

a  card  from  a  subscriber  is  necessary.) 
Leaper  &  Dawson,  Vere  Street.     (Excellent  dressmakers.) 


42  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


PARIS. 


The  American  art  student,  who  gives  but  a 
week  to  London  and  water-colors  before  passing 
on  to  the  gayer  city  Paris  for  an  education  in  oils, 
will  find  it  economical,  if  not  provided  with  a 
through  ticket  by  the  steamer  company,  to  cross 
the  channel  by  almost  any  route  rather  than  fash- 
ionable Calais  and  Dover.  Say  Dieppe  and  New- 
Haven,  for  instance,  where  the  fare  is  but  thirty 
francs,  second  class,  the  baggage  rates  very  low, 
and  the  boats  of  the  company  larger  and  more 
comfortable. 

Arrived  in  the  metropolis  and  turning  toward 
what  is  often  called  the  painters'  quarter  of  the  rive 
droite  or  north  side  of  the  Seine  (that  circuit  lying 
between  the  gave  du  Nord  and  gave  St.  Lazare,  the 
Opera  House  and  Montmartre),  finds  almost  every 
block  on  Boulevard  Clichy,  Rochechonart,  and  the 


PARIS.  43 


intervening  streets  entirely  given  up  to  studios  ;  for 
not  only  do  some  of  the  leading  masters,  like  Bon- 
nat,  Gerome,  and'Miiller,  meet  their  elasses  in  that 
locality,  but  also  have  their  private  residences  there. 

All  Paris,  however,  is  apt  to  strike  a  new-comer 
as  being  but  one  vast  studio,  particularly  if  seeing 
it  for  the  first  time  of  a  morning,  either  in  summer 
or  winter,  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  when 
students,  bearing  paint-box  and  toile>  swarm  in  all 
directions,  hurrying  to  their  cours;  or  still  more 
when  artistic  excitement  reaches  its  height,  during 
the  days  appointed  for  sending  work  to  be  examined 
by  the  jury  of  the  Salon.  Then  pictures  literally 
darken  the  air,  borne  on  men's  shoulders  and  backs, 
packed  in  immense  vans,  or  under  an  arm  of  the 
painter  himself,  all  going  to  the  same  destination,  — 
the  Palais  de  1' Industrie  on  the  Champs  Elysees. 

L'Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts,  beside  Monsieur  Jackson 
and  other  masters,  attracts  many  to  the  Latin  Quar- 
tier  for  forming  another  little  art  world,  so  a  stranger 
decides  each  arrondissement  offers  some  advantages, 
and  it  is  not  a  question  of  so  much  importance  as 
in  limitless  London,  where  one  selects  an  abode. 

But  to  a  party  or  painter,  counting  expense  and 
crossing  the  Atlantic  for  several  years  of  study  in 
Paris,  to  hire  and  furnish  an  apartment  is  undoubt- 


44  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

edly  much  cheaper  than  any  hotel  or  pension  can 
be.  For  living,  until  one  learns  the  real  French 
manner  of  doing  it,  is  quite  as  high  as  in  America, 
and  a  visitor  is  sadly  disappointed  if  cheapness  is 
expected  to  be  found  in  anything  beyond  gloves 
and  Turkey  carpets. 

To  furnish  even  a  small  apartment  prettily  takes 
time  and  trouble,  as  every  woman  knows,  but  if 
one  chooses  to  spend  a  few  hundred  francs  at 
Hotel  Druot  (the  great  auction-rooms  of  Paris),  a 
fine  collection  of  useful  and  ornamental  meubles 
may  be  bought  for  surprisingly  little  money,  not 
pei haps  quite  new,  but  if  carefully  selected,  suitable 
to  adorn  an  American  studio  when  no  longer  needed 
in  France.  And  as  household  articles  after  a  year's 
use,  together  with  bric-a-brac  which  belongs  in  the 
category  of  "  artist's  tools  of  trade,"  can  pass  the 
customs  free,  the  question  of  heavy  duties  in  trans- 
porting such  has  not  to  be  considered. 

It  is  found  very  convenient,  and  even  necessary, 
to  number  in  a  party  about  to  settle  in  Paris  one 
member  of  a  domestic  turn  of  mind,  as  a  bonne, 
fcmme  de  menage  and  blancJiisscnse  each  need  care- 
ful looking  after.  For,  like  the  merchants,  they 
seem  to  consider  all  foreigners  as  fair  prey,  and 
proceed  to  fleece  such  unfortunates  to  the  best  of 
their  ability. 


PARIS.  45 


It  has  never  been  my  happy  experience  to  find 
one  of  this  class  who  could  be  called  strictly  honest, 
and  it  becomes  almost  laughable  to  see  how,  like 
so  many  among  the  Irish  help  of  America,  they 
make  a  decided  distinction  between  the  purse  and 
the  provisions  of  a  mistress.  For  though  a  pile  of 
gold  may  be  safely  left  for  any  length  of  time  within 
reach,  everything,  from  butter  to  charcoal,  is  un- 
hesitatingly appropriated  in  the  cuisine,  and  family 
or  relations  in  the  neighborhood  luxuriously  sup- 
ported thereon. 

Some  ladies  do  not  mind  such  trifles,  and  quietly 
submit,  paying  the  thirty  francs  demanded  for  ser- 
vice by  a  bonne,  beside  board,  clothes,  and  lodging, 
per  month  without  a  murmur.  Others  try  to  settle 
this  vexed  question  of  help  by  preparing  breakfast 
and  lunch  for  themselves,  only  engaging  a  femme 
de  menage,  at  five  sous  per  hour,  for  all  other  work 
and  cooking  the  dinner. 

I  have  known  ladies  coming  to  Paris  for  only  a 
short  time,  wishing  to  accomplish  much  shopping  or 
sight-seeing  with  economy,  be  very  comfortable  by 
taking  a  room  at  the  "  Grande  Hotel  du  Louvre," 
where  by  aid  of  a  spirit-lamp  a  delicious  cup  of 
coffee  is  provided  in  the  morning,  lunch  taken  at 
a  restaurant,  in  any  part  of  the  city  where  their 


46  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

wanderings  may  have  led  them,  returning  only  at 
night  for  the  substantial  table  d'hote  of  the  hotel. 

Still  another  way,  which  has  been  followed  by 
many  students  with  success,  is  to  hire  a  furnished 
room  in  some  small  hotel,  such  as  one  finds  in  Rue 
de  Douai,  for  instance,  at  a  franc  per  day,  make 
one's  breakfast  of  a  roll  and  cup  of  coffee,  taken  at 
a  cremerie,  buying  lunch  en  route  for  the  studio, 
and  at  six  o'clock  going  to  the  nearest  Duval 
establishment  for  a  dinner,  costing  from  one  franc, 
fifty  centimes,  upward. 

This,  amounting  in  all  to  about  four  francs  per 
day,  a  lady  affirmed,  judging  from  her  own  experi- 
ence, was  by  far  the  cheapest  and  simplest  arrange- 
ment possible  for  one  intent  on  studying  art  in 
Paris. 

For  though  it  may  have  a  somewhat  homeless 
sound  in  description,  yet  the  French  live  so  entirely 
in  the  theatres,  cafes,  and  on  the  boulevards,  that 
a  stranger  looks  in  vain  for  anything  corresponding 
to  an  English  or  American  home,  the  comfort  and 
beauty  of  which,  like  the  word  itself,  seeming  quite 
unknown  in  the  frivolous  capital. 

Then,  too,  supposing  our  artist  wants  to  study 
from  early  until  late,  and  has  perhaps  sufficient 
strength  and  eyesight  for  the  evening  seance  at  the 


PARIS.  47 


chosen  cours,  the  hours  are  so  fully  occupied,  there 
is  no  time  for  homesick  repinings,  so  I  will  try  to 
aid  in  the  accomplishment  of  her  plans,  if  possible, 
by  mentioning  some  classes  for  instruction  that 
have  come  under  my  notice. 

Firstly,  then,  is  the  well  lighted  and  ventilated 
studio  of  Monsieur  Krug,  No.  1 1  Boulevard  Clichy, 
devoted  to  female  students  in  all  branches  of  art, 
and  where  the  much-discussed  question  of  the 
propriety  of  women's  studying  from  the  nude  is 
settled  in  a  delicate  and  proper  manner  by  the  gen- 
tlemanly director.  Here  one  has  the  great  advan- 
tage of  severe  and  discriminating  criticism,  two 
mornings  in  each  week,  from  Monsieur  Carl  Miiller, 
the  painter  of  the  well-known  "  Conciergerie  dur- 
ing the  Reign  of  Terror,"  hanging  in  the  Luxem- 
bourg, and  the  recipient  of  every  honor  France 
has  to  bestow  on  a  man  of  genius.  Monsieur  Cott 
and  the  sculptor,  Carrier-Belleuse,  also  visit  the 
class  to  inspect  the  afternoon  and  evening  draw- 
ings. Monsieur  Krug's  prices  are  moderate,  being 
one  hundred  francs  per  month,  for  the  two  daily 
and  one  evening  seance,  with  no  extra  charge  for 
the  excellent  models  provided,  or  for  towels,  soap, 
etc.,  as  is  often  the  custom. 

This  is,  on  some  accounts,  for  an  American  lady, 


48  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

new  to  painting  and  Paris,  the  best  atelier  she  could 
choose,  for  many  are  overcrowded,  badly  managed, 
expensive,  or  affording  only  objectionable  compan- 
ionship. Still  the  pupils  or  admirers  of  each  lead- 
ing painter  sing  his  praises  loud  and  long,  and 
those  who  receive  ladies  are  Messieurs  Chaplin, 
Barrais,  Duran,  Cabanel,  Jackson,  Luminais,  Bou- 
gereau,  Robert  Fleurry,  and  Lefebre, 

Then  there  is  Jullien's  upper  and  lower  school, 
in  Passage  Panorama,  where  a  student  receives 
criticism  from  the  first  leading  authorities,  and  is 
surrounded  by  splendidly  strong  work  on  the  easels 
of  the  many  faithful  French,  who  for  years  have 
crowded  the  dirty,  close  rooms,  though  I  believe 
the  lower  school,  as  it  is  called,  or  male  class,  no 
longer  opens  its  doors  to  women,  for  the  price,  being 
but  one  half  that  of  the  upper  school,  attracted  too 
many.  Also  with  better  models,  and  a  higher 
standard  of  work,  it  was  yet  found  to  be  an  impos- 
sibility that  women  should  paint  from  the  living 
nude  models  of  both  sexes,  side  by  side  with 
Frenchmen. 

This  is  a  sad  conclusion  to  arrive  at,  when  one 
remembers  the  brave  efforts  made  by  a  band  of 
American  ladies  some  years  ago,  who  supported 
one   another  with   such   dignity   and   modesty,  in 


PARIS.  49 


a  steadfast  purpose  under  this  ordeal,  that  even 
Parisians,  to  whom  such  a  type  of  womanly  char- 
acter was  unknown  and  almost  incomprehensible, 
were  forced  into  respect  and  admiration  of  the 
simple  earnestness  and  purity  which  proved  a 
sufficient  protection  from  even  their  evil  tongues  ; 
M.  Jullien  himself  confessing  that  if  all  ladies  exer- 
cised'the  beneficial  influence  of  a  certain  Madonna- 
faced  Miss  N.  among  them,  anything  would  be 
possible. 

Something  beside  courage  was  needed  for  such  a 
triumph  ;  and  young  women  of  no  other  nation- 
ality could  have  accomplished  it,  though,  it  must  be 
acknowledged,  a  like  clique  will  not  easily  be  met 
with  again. 

So,  let  those  who  commonly  represent  the  indis- 
creet, husband-hunting,  title-seeking  butterfly  as 
the  typical  American  girl  abroad,  at  least  do  her 
the  justice  to  put  this  fact  on  record,  to  her  credit. 

It  only  needs,  however,  the  co-operation  of  a 
sufficient  number  of  earnest  female  students  to 
form  a  club,  hire  a  studio,  choose  a  critic,  and 
engage  models,  to  secure  the  same  advantages 
now  enjoyed  only  by  men,  at  the  same  exceedingly 
low  rates.  This  plan  was  seriously  talked  of  not 
long  ago,  and  only  failed  of  being  put  into  execution 
4 


50  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

from  the  want  of  one  member  with  time  and 
energy  enough  to  take  upon  herself  the  respon- 
sibility of  making  a  beginning. 

But  it  is  the  right  thing  to  be  done,  and  the  only 
way  open  at  present  to  successfully  rectify  the  in- 
justice of  prices  charged  by  Parisian  masters  for 
art  instruction  to  women.  Though,  strange  to  say, 
these  same  masters,  outside  of  their  own  studios,  are 
generous  of  their  time  and  will  seldom  refuse  criti- 
cism to  a  class  of  ladies  entirely  free  of  charge. 

This,  however,  may  not  be  from  wholly  disinter- 
ested motives,  as  pupils  are  constantly  proving  by 
their  ability  and  success,  that  time  has  not  been 
wasted  on  them,  and  the  honors  received  can  only 
give  added  lustre  to  the  master's  name  and  make 
his  troop  of  followers  the  larger. 

American  women,  particularly,  are  beginning  to 
lead  in  this  direction,  so  there  should  be  no  pains 
spared  to  remove  all  obstacles  in  the  most  direct 
path  to  a  thorough  education  for  them,  by  bring- 
ing the  best  in  every  branch  within  their  (too 
often)  limited  means. 

An  unprejudiced  judge  of  pictures,  in  Paris, 
making  the  tour  through  the  studios  of  Americans 
of  both  sexes,  and  carefully  examining  the  work 
found  there  and  at  the  Salon  consecutive  seasons, 


PARIS.  5 1 


cannot  but  admit  that  in  many  instances  that  of 
the  women  is  far  superior  and,  what  is  somewhat 
surprising,  far  stronger  in  style  than  most  of  that 
done  by  the  men. 

If  Mr.  John  Sargent  be  excepted,  whose  portrait 
of  Carolus  Duran  .alone  undoubtedly  places  him  in 
the  first  rank  of  painters,  there  is  no  other  male 
student  from  the  United  States  in  Paris  to-day, 
exhibiting  in  his  pictures  the  splendid  coloring 
always  found  in  the  work  of  Miss  Casatte,  from 
Philadelphia,  or  the  strength  and  vigor  of  Miss 
Dodson's  "  Deborah,"  particularly  remarked  in  this 
year's  Salon. 

It  is  something  of  a  boast  for  America  to  possess 
even  these  women  candidates  for  artistic  honors 
whose  work  bears  favorable  comparison  with  so 
much  that  is  excellent  done  by  the  men  of  the 
same  nationality,  and  that  of  the  French  in  the 
great  exhibitions ;  for  even  among  the  latter,  a 
nation  of  painters  as  it  is,  the  names  only  of  Rosa 
Bonheur,  Nelie  Jacquemart,  Louise  Abbema,  and 
Sara  Bernhardt  occur  as  having  so  far  distin- 
guished themselves  in  art.  With  the  last  named, 
too,  it  seems  more  the  versatility  of  talent  shown  by 
the  leading  actress  of  the  Theatre  Frangais,  than 
real  merit  as  sculptor  or   painter,  which  attracts 


52  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

the  crowd  about  any  production  of  hers.  And 
what  is  notably  striking  in  the  pictures  of  Rosa 
Bonheur  is  her  bold,  almost  masculine  use  of  the 
brush,  compared  with  the  more  delicate,  even  un- 
certain style  of  her  brother,  Jules  Bonheur.  A 
stranger,  seeing  the  two  canvases  side  by  side, 
would  unhesitatingly  select  hers  as  the  work  of  the 
man.     Of  the  same  lady  M.  Krug  tells  a  story. 

Some  years  ago,  before  Barbizon  became  the 
rendezvous  it  now  is  for  artists  from  every  part  of 
the  globe,  he,  together  with  a  party  of  painters, 
went  to  that  corner  of  the  beautiful  forest  of  Fon- 
tainebleau,  on  a  sketching  trip ;  and  in  coming  and 
going  from  the  one  little  hotel  the  town  contained, 
they  often  met  a  slender,  solitary  youth,  who  with 
easel  and  colors  seemed  from  early  until  late  intent 
only  on  work. 

His  great  reserve  and  unsociability  awakened, 
naturally  enough,  some  curiosity  about  him,  until 
it  was  discovered  that  the  youth  was  no  other  than 
the  distinguished  Rosa  Bonheur,  who,  for  greater 
independence,  had  donned  male  attire  to  paint  un- 
known at  Barbizon.  The  artists  religiously  kept 
her  secret,  and  not  until  long  after  did  she  learn 
that  she  had  been  recognized  and  her  disguise  of 
little  account. 


PARIS.  53 


The  art  school  which  she  founded,  and  which,  if 
I  am  not  mistaken,  bears  her  name,  has  success- 
fully operated  for  years,  and  offers  many  advan- 
tages, free  of  all  cost,  to  the  aspiring  young  French 
girl. 

Monsieur  Jackson,  who.  holds  a  high  rank  as 
draughtsman-,  though  little  is  heard  or  seen  of 
his  pictures,  enjoys  a  great  reputation  as  a  teacher, 
being  severe  in  criticism,  exceedingly  thorough  in 
method,  and  slow  to  allow  a  pupil  to  begin  in  color 
until  well  grounded  in  drawing.  He  visits  the 
lower  gallery  of  the  Louvre  twice  a  week,  where 
many  of  his  class  draw  in  charcoal  from  the  antique, 
as  this  is  thought  the  best  preparation  for  begin- 
ning from  life,  which  seems  at  first  so  insurmount- 
ably difficult.  His  atelier  is  in  Rue  des  Beaux 
Arts,  and  his  prices  are  somewhat  high,  being 
one  hundred  francs  a  month  for  one  daily  seance. 
Fantin-la-Tour,  whose  work,  so  often  exposed  in 
London  shop-windows,  has  only  to  be  seen  to  be 
admired,  has  his  apartment  in  the  same  street, 
and  occasionally  takes  pupils  for  moderate  remu- 
neration. 

Charles  Jacque,  also,  whose  sheep,  amid  such  rich 
forest  scenery,  seem  to  blink  at  a  spectator  from 
so  many   frames,    considers    Americans    his    best 


54  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

> 

patrons,  and  will  receive  a  student  desirous  of  be- 
coming an  animal  painter. 

There  are  stories  told,  too,  of  a  famous  artist 
living  at  Ecouen,  who  has  one  entire  side  of  his 
ground-floor  working  room  built  of  glass,  and  open- 
ing directly  into  a  yard  where  his  favorite  animals 
are  kept  ready  for  study  at  all  times.  But  the 
name  of  this  gentleman  is  discreetly  withheld,  to- 
gether with  the  fact  of  whether  he  would  willingly 
allow  pupils  the  same  advantages  as  those  arranged 
for  himself. 

Ecouen  (since  Couture  no  longer  attracts  Ameri- 
cans to  the  little  village  on  the  hill  so  Ions:  com- 
mon  meeting-ground  for  students)  has  become  very 
popular.  For  not  only  is  living  cheap  and  the 
country  pretty,  but  Monsieur  Edouard  Frere  does 
much  not  only  as  painter  and  teacher,  but  by 
hospitably  opening  his  salon  once  a  week,  to  make 
the  town  an  agreeable  residence  for  strangers. 

Before  turning  toward  the  banlieue,  an  artist  may 
think  it  best  to  copy  some  of  the  Rembrandts  of 
the  Louvre,  so  often  suggested  by  Bonnat  to  his 
pupils  as  good  practice,  or  the  smaller  yet  attractive 
pictures  in  the  Le  Caze  room,  or  even  put  an  easel 
up  before  the  more  modern  ones  in  the  Luxem- 
bourg, though  the  charming  old  Hotel  Cluny,  with 


paris.  55 


its  ruined  baths  standing  in  the  pretty  garden, 
its  spiral  stone  staircase  leading  to  the  quaint  little 
chapel,  royal  chambers,  and  even  royal  bed  above, 
and  the  many  chariots  and  interesting  relics  of  the 
museum  below,  will  prove,  I  imagine,  irresistible. 
The  picturesque  front,  with  its  antique  windows  and 
fine  stonework,  old  well,  and  escutcheons,  makes 
in  itself  a  good  subject  for  color  at  the  entrance, 
though  to  take  it  from  the  opposite  sidewalk  would 
not  be  easy,  sketching  in  the  open  air  in  Paris  be- 
ing surrounded  by  all  kinds  of  difficulties,  from  the 
permission  which  must  be  demanded  of  the  au- 
thorities, to  the  impertinent  rabble  that  immedi- 
ately collects  to  look  over  one's  shoulder. 

To  avoid  all  this,  the  painters  of  street-scenes, 
a  subject  most  fashionable  just  now,  resort  t6  hiring 
a  fiacre  by  the  hour,  seated  in  which,  with  pencil 
or  brush,  they  can  catch  a  likeness  of  the  passers 
or  desired  object,  unobserved  and  unmolested. 

An  order  for  working  in  the  Museum  or  the 
grounds  surrounding  it  is  easily  obtained  from  an 
official  in  his  office  on  the  second  floor,  if  a  student 
is  not  discouraged  by  the  disagreeable  concierge, 
who  gives  as  little  information  as  possible  on  the 
subject,  and  is  very  reluctant  to  show  the  way  up. 

Everybody   goes  to    St.  Germain  (en  Laye),  to 


56  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

enjoy  the  extended  view  while  dining  in  the  hotel- 
garden,  or  to  St.  Denis  to  examine  the  church  and 
relics,  to  the  Sevres  china  manufactory,  or  Ver- 
sailles, £pr  its  picture  gallery,  Trianon,  and  Grandes 
Eaux  ;  or  taking  one  of  the  bateaux  mouches,  which 
from  the  quay  ply  the  river  in  each  direction,  goes 
as  far  as  St.  Cloud,  to  walk  in  the  park  and  climb 
the  hill  to  the  walls  of  the  once  fine  chateau  ;  or, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  pleasure-ioving  Parisians, 
mounts  a  tram  on  a  Sunday  for  visiting  the  fort 
and  forest  of  Vincennes. 

Very  possibly,  however,  a  good  Puritan  would 
hardly  accept  that  last  suggestion,  or  approve  the 
hard-working  French  ouvrier,  who,  with  big  din- 
ner-basket, takes  wife  and  children,  to  spend  this 
day  of  leisure  in  some  neighboring  wood,  or  if  too 
poor  to  go  as  far,  stretches  himself  on  the  grass 
amid  the  yellow  dandelions  encircling  the  city 
fortifications.  For  Sunday  is  wholly  the  people's 
day  in  France,  and  always  a  gay  one,  galleries, 
theatres,  and  every  place  of  entertainment  being 
open  ;  yet  there  is  less  drunkenness  and  disorder 
than  at  other  times,  the  extra  trains  bearing  the 
bourgeois  by  thousands  into  the  country. 

Many  Americans  resident  in  Paris  resort  in 
summer  to  the  towns   named   above,  preferring  a 


PARIS.  57 


taste  of  country  life  to  watering-places  and  the  sea. 
But  all  of  these  resorts,  especially  Versailles,  St. 
Germain,  and  St.  Cloud,  are  fashionable  and  more 
or  less  expensive,  the  farmers  and  market-gardeners 
preferring  to  transport  their  products  directly  to  the 
central  city  halles  and  pay  the  high  rate  of  octroi 
to  selling  in  smaller  quantities  nearer  home,  and 
this  makes  provisions  and  actual  living  higher  than 
in  the  capital  itself,  though  rents  and  other  things 
are  proportionately  less.  Even  Ville  d'Avray,  Meu- 
don,  and  the  smaller  places  are  not  found  to  be  as 
cheap  as  a  stranger  might  expect,  but  apartments 
are  plenty  and  the  scenery  picturesque. 

Meudon  deserves  description  a  little  more  in 
detail,  as  an  artist  could  select  no  lovelier  spot  for 
sojourning  in  any  of  the  environs,  and  it  is  easily 
reached  in  twenty  minutes  from  the  gare  Mont- 
parnasse,  by  the  rive  gauche  for  Versailles. 

The  well-known  view  from  the  Terrace,  of  Paris 
with  its  many  spires,  gilded  dome  of  the  Invalides, 
and  towers  of  the  Trocadero,  relieved  against  the 
steep  rise  of  Montmartre,  the  Seine  winding  under 
its  white,  arched  bridges  almost  to  one's  feet  at  Bas 
Meudon,  makes,  on  a  sunny  day,  a  truly  dazzling 
panorama,  which  fully  equals,  if  not  surpasses,  that 
famous  view  of  Rome  from  the  Pincio. 


58  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

The  air  is  like  champagne,  wonderfully  clear  and 
invigorating,  for  Meudon  is  built  along  the  sloping 
sides  of  a  hill  rising  very  abruptly  from  the  Seine 
and  green  Val  Fleury.  It  seems  quite  on  a  level 
wfth  Mont  Vale'rien,  whose  embattled  summit 
shows  finely  through  the  vista  formed  by  the  beau- 
tiful lime-trees,  on  either  hand  of  the  "  Avenue 
du  Chateau." 

The  building  to  which  this  fine  avenue  conducts 
was  erected  by  the  Grand  Dauphin,  son  of  Louis 
XIV.,  who  died  in  it,  Napoleon  fitting  it  up  for 
Marie  Louise,  to  be  destroyed  in  1S71  by  the 
shells  of  the  Prussians,  so  that  now  only  three 
sides  of  it  remain,  one  corner  of  the  outer  bdtiment 
serving  as  an  observatory,  the  rest  as  barracks  or 
stables. 

The  artist  will  walk  delightedly  about  the  village, 
and  perhaps  discover  the  straggling  pathway  lead- 
ing to  the  plateau  at  the  foot  of  the  chateau-wall, 
from  which  one  commands  a  very  extended  pros- 
pect. The  lofty  viaduct  and  wooded  valley,  with 
the  red  roofs  of  Issy,  make  a  becoming  fond  for 
the  large  wheels  turning  like  windmills  on  the  hill 
of  Fleury,  or  for  the  stone  abreuvoir,  where  noble 
Normandy  horses,  in  heavy  harnesses,  blue  sheep- 
skin   collars,  and    squirrel-tails    dangling   at    their 


Paris.  59 


ears,  drink  in  close  proximity  to  the  peasants  wash- 
ing their  salads.  But  the  charms  of  the  far-reach- 
ing "  Bois  de  Meudon"  are  beyond  description,  it 
not  being  carefully  laid  out  in  walks  and  artificial 
ponds,  but  all  is  wild  and  picturesque  along  its 
broad  avenues,  which  in  times  past  have  seen  so 
much  royal  hunting. 

In  autumn,  when  the  fagot-women,  in  bright 
handkerchiefs,  stuff  skirts,  and  sabots,  are  at  work, 
or  the  woodcutters,  in  blue  blouses,  their  scarlet 
belts  filled  with  glistening  knives,  sing  as  they 
chop,  amid  the  rich  russet  tints  of  the  grand  old 
trees,  it  is  like  opening  a  portfolio  of  sketches  by 
Millet. 

Perhaps  other  woods  are  quite  as  beautiful, 
although  that  at  St.  Germain,  St.  Cloud,  or  Vin- 
cennes  cannot  compare  with  it,  yet  the  bois,  with 
the  attractive  views  and  healthy  air,  makes  Meudon 
a  most  charmingly  artistic  retreat  for  an  outing. 

Farther  off  from  Paris,  Grez,  near  Nemours, 
within  walking  distance  of  Barbizon,  and  donkey- 
ride  of  Fontainebleau,  has  its  admirers.  For  this 
small  hamlet,  never  heard  of  until  lately,  when 
rumors  of  its  picturesqueness  and  the  free  life  led 
there  have  reached  the  studios,  has  now  become 
quite  popular. 


60  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

One  painter  after  another,  with  mind  filled  by 
many  lingering  doubts  as  to  what  it  would  be  like, 
has  ventured  to  go,  generally  being  received  on  his 
arrival  by  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  who 
turn  out  to  see  each  new-comer  and  divide  any 
luggage  among  themselves,  for  transportation  to 
the  one  little  inn,  which,  until  this  year,  has  been 
the  only  accommodation  afforded. 

The  place  has  its  old  bridge  and  ruin,  its  boating 
and  bathing,  the  river  making  these  possible  for 
ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen,  flannel  shirts  and 
tramp  dresses  being  the  order  of  the  d  ly.  Fine 
clothes  are  out  of  place  and  strictly  forbidden  by 
the  freedom-loving  set  which  now  annually  meets 
in  the  small  rooms  of  the  aubcrge,  where  board 
was  from  four  to  five  francs  per  day,  but  lately, 
since  a  hotel  has  been  started,  the  rate  is  raised  to 
six  francs,  I  am  told. 

The  address  can  be  found  in  the  list  at  the  end 
by  any  one  desirous  to  try  roughing  it  a  little  in 
France ;  for  Grez  quite  corresponds  on  one  side  of 
the  Atlantic,  to  Clark's  Island,  off  Plymouth,  Mass., 
on  the  other,  and  though  not  by  the  sea,  it  still 
possesses  the  same  charm  to  those  who  have  once 
been  adventurous  enough  to  spend  a  summer  there. 

But  if  a  student  prefers  taking  advantage  of  the 


PARIS.  6 1 


cheap  excursion  tickets,  issued  by  many  of  the 
railroad  companies,  to  see  Switzerland,  Venice,  Nor- 
mandy, or  Brittany,  to  spending  a  vacation  nearer 
Paris,' a  few  hints  about  some  picturesque  and  his- 
torical places  in  the  latter  district  may  be  accept- 
able. If  not  approaching  the  western  coast  from 
New  York  to  Brest,  or  Southhampton  to  St.  Malo, 
the  route  from  Paris  takes  one  through  Chartres  and 
Lemans,  where  the  cathedral  of  each  being  very  fine, 
it  is  well  worth  stopping  over  a  train  to  see  them. 

For  the  first,  besides  its  grand  proportions,  and 
the  added  interest  of  Henri  IV.  having  been 
crowned  there,  possesses,  perhaps,  the  finest  stained 
glass  in  all  France,  and  three  rose-windows  among 
its  one  hundred  and  thirty,  which  mostly  date  from 
the  thirteenth  century,  are  very  beautiful. 

The  cathedral  at  Lemans,  dedicated  to  St.  Julian, 
deserves  great  attention,  parts  of  it  being  of  the 
eighth  and  ninth  century,  and  the  choir  is  of  1220, 
that  period  when  pointed  Gothic  architecture  was 
in  its  perfection.  The  colored  glass,  too,  is  almost 
as  lovely  as  that  at  Chartres,  and  in  the  town  some 
specimens  of  mediaeval  work  still  remain,  the  house 
of  Queen  Berengaria  being  pointed  out  as  one  of 
these. 

The  traveller  will  hardly  stop  at  Rennes,  unless 


62  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

for  changing  trains  to  St.  Malo,  in  the  north, 
which  is  an  old,  picturesque  place,  and  from  which 
one  takes  the  boat,  going  up  the  pretty  river 
Ranee,  passing  under  the  magnificent  viaduct  to 
reach  Dinan.  Here  an  artist  can  rest  with  delight 
for  many  months,  as  everything,  from  the  adjacent 
country,  which  is  thought  to  be  the  most  beautiful 
in  Brittany,  to  the  ancient  gateways  and  clock- 
tower  in  a  street  so  narrow  that  the  gabled  roofs 
meet  overhead,  is  sufficiently  attractive  to  keep 
the  brush  constantly  busy. 

Queen  Anne's  castle,  now  a  prison,  the  old  town- 
wall  and  watch-towers,  fine  fosse,  and  Romanesque 
St.  Sauveur,  all  are  interesting ;  also  the  steep 
descent  to  the  river,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
below,  clown  which  the  many  little  streets  run  so 
precipitately,  that,  particularly  in  Rue  de  Jerznal, 
even  a  foot-passenger  finds  the  way  almost  imprac- 
ticable, and  wonders  how  the  royal  carriage  ever 
accomplished  an  exit  by  this,  at  one  time,  only 
route. 

It  may  be  a  disappointment  not  oftener  to  meet, 
in  this  corner  of  France,  with  the  old  costumes 
which  one  naturally  expects  in  a  place  where  the 
world  seems  to  have  stood  still  for  centuries.  But 
it  is  only  occasionally  on  a  fete-day  that  one  en- 


PARIS.  6$ 


counters  a  peasant  en  grande  tenuc,  and  the  white 
caps,  of  different  styles  and  shapes,  seem  the  only- 
distinguishing  feature  of  the  various  towns  or  can- 
tons. Curious  figures  sometimes  make  their  appear- 
ance at  the  weekly  pig-market  held  in  Place  St. 
Louis,  where  the  women  do  the  trading,  fighting 
valiantly  with  an  obstinate  or  enraged  animal,  and 
sometimes  conquering  only  by  mounting  him, 
squealing  loudly,  on  to  their  shoulders,  and  so  bear- 
ing him  off  in  triumph,  amid  the  commendations 
of  the  crowd.  It  is  a  most  amusing  scene,  so 
decidedly  new  and  varied  in  character  as  to  be 
well  worth  taking  a  stroll  to  see  ;  but  further,  in  the 
same  direction  from  the  town,  is  pretty  Lehon, 
with  its  castle,  abbey,  and  chapel  of  the  Beauma- 
noirs,  the  latter  standing  so  near  the  river  that  its 
ruined  windows  are  distinctly  reflected  in  the  stream 
below.  The  thatched  huts  of  the  peasants,  too, 
who  sit  stripping  the  golden  osiers  at  their  doors, 
and  the  fine  view  from  the  hill  of  Dinan's  antique 
towers  and  spires,  make  this  a  charming  walk. 
But  there  are  plenty  of  excursions  in  almost  every 
direction  to  the  Chateau  de  la  Garaye,  read  of  in 
Mrs.  Norton's  verse,  and  a  good  subject  for  color, 
where  the  old  stables,  now  used  as  a  house,  con- 
tain furniture  made  from  the  carved  oak  manners 


64  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

and  stalls.  The  castles  of  Montafilant  and  La 
Hunaudaye,  reached  by  donkey-ride  or  carriage- 
drive,  must  all  be  visited. 

Toward  the  coast  is  Morlaix,  which  is  very 
quaint  and  boasts  the  finest  viaduct  in  France ; 
and  here,  too,  one  at  last  sees  the  real  Breton 
costume,  the  trunk-hose,  wide-brimmed  hats,  and 
shaggy  locks.  There  is  much  old  Gothic  archi- 
tecture also  remaining,  and  a  fine  carved  staircase 
near  the  quay. 

Going  from  here,  a  little  south  is  Pontaven  (Fin- 
istere),  so  much  frequented  lately  by  artists.  It  is 
near  the  sea  and  within  carriage-drive  of  the  Pointe 
or  Bee  du  Ray,  which  is  the  most  tempest-tossed 
part  of  the  coast,  the  Baie  des  Tre'pasess  being  at 
all  times  covered  with  wrecks  and  affording  fine 
effects  for  a  marine  painter. 

But  from  Dinan  a  more  history-loving  traveller 
will  take  the  diligence  to  the  nearest  station  on 
the  main  railroad,  and  retrace  the  way  as  far  as 
Lemans,  diverging  there  southward  to  Tours  and 
so  follow  for  a  time  the  Loire,  along  which  so 
many  kingly  chateaur  are  found,  either  going  via 
Bourges,  Moulins,  Lyons,  and  Geneva  into  Switzer- 
land, or  taking  Amboise,  Chenonceaux,  Blois,  and 
Orleans  on  the  return  route  for  Paris.     Tours  has 


PARIS.  65 


a  fine  Gothic  cathedral,  with  a  strikingly  rich  orna- 
mental facade  dating  from  the  fifteenth  century, 
beside  some  stained  glass  that  will  arrest  the  vis- 
itor for  a  long  morning  before  going  on  to  Amboise, 
where  the  castle,  conspicuous  on  the  great  cliff, 
was  long  the  residence  of  the  French  kings.  One 
can  mount  from  below  to  the  summit  of  this  height 
by  following  a  broad,  winding  passage—  up  which 
carriages  were  wont  to  drive,  the  ascent  is  made  so 
gradually  —  within  the  tower. 

From  these  walls  were  hung  the  bodies  of  the 
Huguenots  slaughtered  by  the  Due  de  Guise,  and 
from  the  balcony  Catherine  de  Medicis  and  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots"  watched  the  execution  of  still  more 
of  these  victims. 

The  little  chapel  in  the  garden  has  a  most  beau- 
tiful carving  over  its  doorway  of  St.  Hubert  and 
the  stag  with  the  cross  between  its  horns,  and  the 
groined  roof  and  frieze  of  stonework  is  of  the  most 
delicate  sculpture.  The  building  in  the  form  of  a 
cross  was  erected  for  Anne  of  Brittany,  and  re- 
stored by  Louis  Philippe.  It  is  said,  too,  that 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life 
at  Amboise  in  the  Chateau  de  Cloux. 

The  drive  from  the  Lion  d'Or  to  Chenonceaux 
is  most  delightful,  lying  through  the  forest  and 
5 


66  STUDYING  ART  ABRO.IP. 

crossing  the  moat  to  the  picturesque  chateau  built 
by  Francis  I.  directly  over  the  river  Cher.  The 
old  furniture,  armor,  and  enamels  have  been  pre- 
served, and  make  the  interior,  with  its  tapestry  and 
picture-gallery  of  historical  portraits,  seem  very 
home-like.  Among  the  latter  is  one  of  Diane  de 
Poitiers  in  the  very  abbreviated  costume  of  the 
goddess  for  whom  she  was  named  ;  also  one  of 
Agnes  Sorel  and  Rabelais  ;  and  in  the  apartments 
of  the  present  occupant  (which  are  occasionally 
obligingly  shown  a  visitor)  are  two  magnificent 
Troyons,  such  as  one  seldom  meets  with  even  in 
large  collections. 

The  chateau  has  known  many  royal  inhabitants, 
having  been  given  by  Henri  II.  to  Diane  de  Poi- 
tiers and  used  by  him  as  a  retreat  when  hunting. 
Then  Catherine  de  Medicis  took  possession,  and 
bequeathing  it  to  the  widow  of  Henri  III.,  it  de- 
scended to  the  Condes.  In  the  time  of  Madame 
Dupin  (George  Sand's  grandmother),  Voltaire  and 
Rousseau  visited  it,  and  the  latter's  opera,  "  Le 
Divin  du  Village,"  was  performed  in  the  little 
theatre  adjoining,  so  the  loquacious  guide  informs 
the  visitor. 

Still  more  royal  history  meets  one  at  Blois,  and 
seems  brought  very  near  in  certain  rooms  of  the 


PARIS.  6j 


castle  where  so  many  momentous  events  took  place. 
For  the  winding  staircase,  very  richly  decorated 
with  the  salamanders  of  Francis  I.,  leads  to  the 
apartment  where  Henri  III.  distributed  the  daggers, 
and  beyond,  to  the  very  cabinet  where  Henri  le 
Balafre,  just  as  he  was  pushing  aside  the  portiere, 
was  attacked  and  pierced  by  many  blades.  The 
valet  de  place  points  to  the  very  spot  where,  as  the 
body  laid,  the  royal  murderer  spurned  it  with  his 
foot,  saying,  "  Je  ne  le  croyais  pas  aussi  grand." 

The  observatory  of  Catherine  de  Medicis,  with 
its  inscription,  "  Uraniae  Sacrum,"  is  shown,  as 
also  the  window  from  which  Queen  Marie  de 
Medicis  escaped  when  banished  here  by  Louis 
XIII. 

Besides  the  fine  staircases  and  sculpture  of  the 
castle,  Blois  is  in  itself  interesting  and  picturesque, 
with  numerous  streets  of  steps  and  old  houses  of 
the  domestic  architecture  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
which  to  do  full  justice  to  on  paper  or  canvas, 
would  employ  a  painter  for  some  length  of  time. 

Orleans  has  little  of  interest  to  offer  beside  the 
relics  of  the  famous  Maid,  whose  equestrian  statue, 
with  base  of  bass-reliefs,  is  the  best  among  the  many 
of  her  in  France.  Also,  her  portrait  at  the  mairie, 
and  house  of  carved  wood,  are  generally  considered 


68  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

objects  to  be  visited,  as  well  as  the  site  of  the  old 
bridge  and  the  fort  of  "  Les  Tourelles,"  which  was 
the  scene,  it  will  be  remembered,  of  her  most 
brilliant  exploit. 

This  city  would  be  the  end  of  the  little  tour 
which  I  have  tried,  in  a  general  way,  to  suggest, 
as  preferable  for  any  artist  wanting  to  secure  a 
rich  historical  background  for  pictures,  while  mak- 
ing Dinan,  or  St.  Malo  perhaps,  the  final  destina- 
tion for  living  cheaply  in  the  most  attractive  part 
of  Brittany. 


MODES   AND    MAGASINS. 

Even  supposing  our  lady-artist  has  been  strong- 
minded  enough  to  leave  London  without  buying 
new  clothes,  she  will  certainly  find  it  quite  impossi- 
ble to  say  good  by  to  Paris  without  at  least  one  new 
costume,  fresh  from  the  hand  of  some  stylish  coutu- 
rier e}  and  by  buying  the  materials  of  silk  or  woolen, 
say  for  a  spring  suit,  a  little  late  in  the  season,  at 
one  of  the  annual  sales  in  the  large  shops,  when 
coupons  of  such,  together  with  trimmings  of  all 
descriptions,  are  nearly  given  away,  a  comparatively 
small  sum  will  cover  this  first  outlay. 

Then  Madame  Thierry,  for  instance  (whose  name 


PARIS.  69 


is  in  the  annexed  list),  possessing  taste  and  fitting 
well,  will  for  forty  or  fifty  francs,  linings,  etc.,  in- 
cluded, make  an  entirely  satisfactory  suit. 

So  that  as  a  whole,  if  accomplished  in  the  right 
way,  this  addition  to  a  lady's  wardrobe  can  hardly 
be  looked  upon  as  an  extravagance. 

At  the  same  time  ready-made  costumes  are  all 
reduced  in  price,  and  the  "  Petit  St.  Thomas  "  gen- 
erally exhibits  particularly  pretty  ones,  at  much 
less  cost  than  the  same  at  the  well-known  "  Bon 
Marche."  As  regards  the  latter  magasin,  there  is  a 
very  mistaken  notion  of  its  being  cheap,  for  with  the 
exception  of  gloves,  ornaments,  and  little  articles, 
everything  is  notably  costlier  than  at  the  Louvre, 
Printemps,  Tapis  Rouge,  and  smaller  shops.  The 
dressmaking  department  is  expensive  and  not  par- 
ticularly commendable,  but  being  especially  patron- 
ized by  Americans,  prices  are  high  accordingly. 

Sacques  and  paletots  are  offered  too,  in  return 
for  little  money,  though  for  anything  of  this  de~ 
scription  in  furs,  London  is  preferable.  English 
ladies  affirm  that  mourning  and  all  black  stuffs  also 
show  a  great  difference  in  expense,  believing  them 
to  be  much  cheaper  in  their  own  capital. 

A  good  Bonnet  (and  that  made  by  the  rival  house 
of  Jaubert,  Andras  et  Cie.)  black  silk,  of  soft,  rich 


STUDYING   ART  ABROAD. 


quality,  costs  in  Paris  about  eight  francs  a  metre,  of 
sixty  centimetres  width,  and  a  firm  at  79  Boulevard 
St.  Michel  advertise  the  making- up  of  mourning 
and  all  black  material  as  a  specialty  at  low  rates. 

Boots  of  a  comfortable  make  and  durable  quality 
seem  about  the  only  necessary  articles  of  wear  that 
are  not  to  be  found  ready  made  in  France.  For 
though  the  shop-windows  are  full  of  enchanting 
boots,  shoes,  and  slippers  of  every  shape  and  kind' 
unless  a  woman  wants  to  deform  her  feet  by  mount- 
ing on  immensely  high  heels  (which  immediately 
proceed  to  tread  over),  there  is  nothing  desirable 
provided  between  these  and  sabots,  although  at 
No.  61  Rue  Mt.  Orgueil,  those  for  fourteen  francs, 
with  or  without  Louis  Quinze  heels,  will  prove  quite 
good  for  service  ;  or  at  a  little  shop  No.  7  Rue 
Notre  Dame  de  Lorette,  a  more  sensible  article, 
with  cloth  or  leather  tops,  costs  eighteen  francs. 
But  a  well-made  pair  of  London  guinea  boots  will 
wear  out  three  pair  of  Paris  make  ;  so  the  conclu- 
sion is  that  for  everything  substantial,  from  na- 
tional characteristics  to  matches  and  pins,  one  must 
go  to  England  and  the  English. 

Hotel  Druot  is  worthy  one  visit  at  least,  as  the 
private  collections  of  pictures  sent  there  for  sale 
contain    sometimes    valuable   ones    seen    nowhere 


PARIS-.  71 


else,  and  if,  as  I  have  before  mentioned,  an  artist 
is  about  furnishing  apartment  or  studio,  it  is  sur- 
prising what  pretty  modern  or  antique  articles  can 
be  bought  for  little  money. 

A  very  effective  set,  of  richly  carved  black  wal- 
nut with  velvet  covering,  I  once  saw  and  admired 
in  an  atelier,  cost  but  200  francs,  or  $40,  at  Hotel 
Druot. 

There  also  is  a  marcJie  known  as  the  "  Temple," 
frequented  by  artists  for  the  purchase  of  tapestry, 
portieres,  and  rich  stuffs  of  various  kinds,  found  at 
low  prices  in  the  little  stalls  principally  kept  by 
Jews,  —  though  no  one,  under  any  consideration, 
is  ever  made  to  confess  being  a  patron  of  this 
bazaar,  as  it  is  not  at  all  comme  il  fant  to  be  seen 
there,  and  a  purchaser  is  occasionally  haunted  by 
the  unpleasant  idea  that  perhaps  the  seeds  of 
the  plague  or  small-pox  lie  hidden  in  the  folds  of 
the  gorgeous  material  just  bought.  The  perfectly 
business-like  manner,  too,  of  the  saleswomen,  in 
some  of  the  booths,  who  accept  five  francs  for  a 
bonnet,  where  at  least  twenty  francs  was  demanded 
in  the  outset,  is  entertaining,  though  before  mak- 
ing this  amiable  concession,  the  aforesaid  may  have 
looked  a  lady  in  the  eye,  asking  calmly,  "  Etes-vous 
folle  ? " 


72  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

It  is  quite  the  same  kind  of  bargaining,  if  not  a 
little  worse,  at  the  Italics,  where  one  goes  for  fresh 
flowers,  or  any  delicacy  too  expensive  elsewhere, 
and  if,  on  objecting  to  a  price,  one  turns  to  pass  on, 
all  kinds  of  offers  and  unflattering  remarks  are 
hurled  after  the  retreating  purchaser  until  out  of 
sight. 

The  only  way  to  successfully  cope  with  such 
people  is  to  marcJiander,  in  a  pleasant  manner,  and 
receive  all  their  impertinence  with  perfect  good 
temper,  which  converts  them  into  firm  friends, 
ready  to  serve  reasonably  and  respectfully  ever 
afterward. 

As  to  colors  and  art  materials,  those  students 
who  prefer  to  use  the  best,  buy  the  Edouard  and 
Belgic  tubes,  taking  them  from  larger  picture 
dealers.  But  a  beginner,  using  oil  colors  in  quan- 
tities for  daily  studies  merely,  will  find  the  quality 
of  such  sufficiently  good,  and  everything  of  that 
nature  very  inexpensive,  at  No.  4  Quai  des  Orfevres. 
Also  all  sized  paint-brushes  at  wholesale  rates,  by 
going  to  Petit  Aine,  24  Faubourg  St.  Denis,  where 
a  dozen  cost  but  one  franc  fifty  centimes. 

Oil  colors,  as  a  rule,  are  cheaper  in  Paris  than  in 
London ;  the  bitumen  is  better,  and  imported  to 
some  extent  from  the  latter  city,  by  those  who  do 


PARIS.  71 


not  believe,  with  several  of  the  French  masters, 
that  it  is  dangerous  for  use,  and  a  color  which  will 
never  dry,  the  "  Shipwreck,"  by  Gericault,  in  the 
Louvre,  being  cited  as  proof  this.  In  a  few  classes 
it  is  strictly  forbidden  to  pupils,  "  Brun  de  Bru- 
xelles"  replacing  it  in  the  color-box  of  the  mer- 
chant who  appears  at  stated  intervals  at  the  studio 
door. 

Jules  Lutteus,  12  Avenue  des  Tilleuls,  Mont- 
martre,  is  a  handsome  model,  who  supplies  painters 
with  large  palettes,  mahogany  panels,  and  such 
articles,  at  small  cost.  Also  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Seine  (which  is  generally  considered  the 
cheaper  quarter  for  everything),  an  ebmisle,  at  83 
Rue  des  St.  Peres,  executes  all  commissions  neatly 
and  at  reasonable  prices.  And  lastly,  if  an  artist 
is  not  fluent  in  the  French  language,  and  wants  a 
teacher  (though  at  many  pensions  the  host  or 
hostess  includes  one  or  two  lessons  each  week  in 
the  cost  of  board),  Mile.  Robert,  33  Rue  de  Clichy, 
can  be  warmly  recommended,  as  very  thorough, 
and  far  from  exorbitant  in  her  terms. 

In  one  and  all  of  the  above  notes,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  cheapness  has  been  the  main 
object,  as  no  visitor  can  deny  that  Paris  shops  are 
the  most  brilliantly  attractive  in  the  world,  offering 


74  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

all,  from  distracting  bonnets  and  flowers,  to  the 
dazzling  display  of  diamonds  seen  in  the  Rue  de 
la  Paix  or  the  Palais  Royal,  that  the  feminine 
heart  can  desire.  But  such  can  only  be  patronized 
by  the  rich,  and  our  particular  American  student 
is  wanting  to  economize,  in  order  that  the  often- 
counted  pile  of  golden  louis  may  not  diminish  too 
rapidly  before  a  thorough  art  education  is  com- 
pleted. Moreover,  this  foreign  life,  even  under  the 
most  humble  conditions,  is  full  of  keen  delight  to 
every  lover  of  the  beautiful,  seeing  only  the  pic- 
turesque side  of  things,  and  enjoying  the  little 
makeshifts  I  have  hinted  at  as  suited  to  the  sur- 
roundings, and  possible  only  on  the  European  side 
of  the  Atlantic. 


MAITRES    DE   DESSIN    ET   DE    PEINTURE. 

M.  Bonnat,  6  Place  Vintimille.    (With  but  one  exception  receives 

only  male  pupils.) 
M.  Bouguereatj,  75  Rue  Notre  Dame  des  Champs. 
M.  CABANEL,  S  Rue  de  Vigny  (Pare  Monceau). 
M.  Duran,  11  Passage  Stanislas 
M.  Suminais,  26  Rue  de  Laval  (Avenue  Frochot). 
M.  Lefebvre,  5  Rue  de  la  Bruyere. 
M.  Fantin-la-Jour,  8  Rue  des  Beaux  Arts. 
M.  Krug,  11  Boulevard  de  Clichy. 
M.  Jackson,  Rue  des  Beaux  Arts. 
M.  Jullien,  Passage  Panorama. 


Paris.  75 


M.  Barrias,  40  Rue  Fortuny. 

M.  Jacque,  1 1  Boulevard  cle  Clichy. 

'PENSIONS. 

Mme.  Thierry,  44  Rue  de  Clichy.  (Good  room  and  table,  6 
francs  per  day.% 

Miss  Cooke,  9  Avenue  de  Trocadero.  (Moderate  prices  and  much 
frequented  by  English  and  Americans.) 

Mme.  Penson,  3  Rue  de  Boulogne.  (Neat,  and  reasonable  in 
price.) 

Mile.  Gravier,  127  Faubourg  St.  Honore. 

Mesdames  Gautier  et  Dalamt,  6  Rue  Castiglione. 

Miss  Ellis,  2S  Rue  Bassano,  and  Miss  Roberts,  also  Champs 
Elysees.     (Both  expensive,  but  exceedingly  comfortable.) 

Mrs.  Wooley,  7  Rue  Calysee.     (55  francs  per  week.) 

Mme.  Beim,  j6  Rue  Bonaparte.     (8  francs  per  day.) 

No.  67  Avenue  de  l'Alma.  (Rather  expensive  but  comfortable, 
and  French  lessons  included  in  board.) 

61  Avenue  Friedland,  Champs  Elysees,  and  72  Boulevard  St.  Ger- 
main.    (Both  comfortable,  and  not  expensive.) 

2  Rue  Larribe,  au  coin  de  la  Rue  Constantinople. 

HOTELS. 

Hotel  du  Palais,  28  Cours  la  Reine.  (Good  room  and  table,  8 
francs  per  day.) 

Les  Trois  Princes,  Rue  Ncuve  des  Petils  Champs.  (Small  pri- 
vate hotel,  central  and  well  kept. 

Small  hotels,  with  cheap  rooms,  Rue  de  Douai. 

M.  CHLVIL!  on  fils,  Grez,  pres  Nemours,  Seine  et  Name.  (6  francs 
per  day ) 

DINAN. 

Hotel  du  Commerce.     (Clean  and  comfortable.) 

Mrs.  HOBBE's  pension.     (35  francs  per  week.) 

Mile.  Coste's  pension,  Place  St.  Louis.   (Comfortable  and  cheap.) 


STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 


COUTURIERES. 

Mme.  Levilon,  14  Rue  de  Rome.     (Satisfactory  but  expensive.) 

Mme.  Emanuel,  19  Avenue  Martignon.  "(Fashionable  and  rather 
dear.) 

Mme.  FEMARY,  42  Rue  Boursault.  (Price  60  f/ancs ;  dress  mate- 
rials included.) 

Mme.  Thierry,  6  Rue  Joubert. '   (Stylish,  and  moderate  in  price.) 

Mme.  Duvanson,   16  Rue  des  Martyrs. 

Mile.  Sherrronkee,  45  Rue  Abbatucci.  (Recommended  as  excel- 
lent and  cheap.) 

Mile.  Ferret,  14  Boulevard  St.  Jacques.     (Seamstress  only.) 

MAGASINS. 

Petit  St.  Thomas,  Rue  du  Bac.    (Good  for  ready-made  costumes.) 

Bon  Marcher  au  coin  de  la  Rue  du  Bac  et  Rue  de  Sevres. 

Tapis  Rouge,  67  Rue  du  Faubourg-St.-Martin. 

Printemps,  Boulevard  Haussman. 

Hotel  Drouot,  Rue  Drouot. 

Ti  mple,  Rue  du  Temple. 

A.  Cholet  et  Cie.,  9  Rue  de  la  Chaussee  d'Antin.   (For  Edouard 

and  Belgic  colors.) 
Vieille,  35  Rue  de  Laval.     (For  reliable  colors.) 
Ponnel,  4  Quai  des  Orfevres.     (For  cheap  colors  and  materials  ) 
Jules  Luttens,  12  Avenue  des  Tilleuls,  Montmartre.    (For  panels 

and  palettes.) 


ROME.  77 


CHAPTER   V. 

ROME. 

Rome,  in  my  estimation,  is  the  place  for  a  student 
of  sculpture  rather  than  of  painting ;  and  as  to 
what  art  advantages  it  offers  at  the  present  time, 
I  can  give  but  little  information,  having  studied 
there  for  one  winter  only,  some  years  ago. 

True  it  is,  however,  that  the  happy  graduate  of 
l'Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts,  whose  trial  sketch  receives 
the  Prix  de  Rome,  finds  in  the  solemn  atmosphere 
of  the  old  city  sufficient  inspiration  to  accomplish 
the  great  picture  that,  later  exposed  in  Paris, 
makes  his  reputation,  and  perhaps  adds  his  name 
to  the  already  long  list  of  French  masters. 

But  the  thorough  familiarity  with  Roman  his- 
tory which  is  always  required  of  a  Beaux-Arts 
student  accounts  for  this  choice  of  locality,  as 
well,  perhaps,  as  for  the  many  Neros,  Caligulas, 
and  togaed  senators  who  annually  make  their 
appearance  on  canvas  of  immense  proportions. 


7<S  STUDYING   ART  ABROAD. 

Monsieur  Hebert  was  a  recognized  critic  in 
Rome  for  some  time,  and  Monsieur  Bellay  much 
liked  as  a  teacher  in  water-color  heads ;  also  Mr. 
Crowninshield,  from  Boston,  opened  his  studio  to  a 
class  of  ladies  in  sketching  from  nature. 

A  few  of  the  Italian  painters  received  female 
pupils,  wishing  to  work  from  the  draped  living 
models,  mostly  in  water-colors  also,  they  them- 
selves forming  an  evening  class,  which  met  in  a 
large,  dusty  room,  off  a  little  street  just  behind 
the  Via  Babuino. 

They  were  a  lively  set,  smoking  or  singing  as 
they  painted,  in  a  bold,  clashing  style,  from  the 
pretty  or  interesting  model  posed  under  the  brill- 
iant reflectors  of  the  raised  platform.  And  even 
in  this  artificial  light  their  touch  was  certain  and 
effective,  so  much  so  that  it  would  have  been 
instructive  to  watch  them  work,  if  the  smoke  of 
numerous  cigarettes  and  increased  confusion,  as  it 
grew  late,  had  not  prevented  this,  as  well  as  the 
possibility  of  painting  with  any  comfort  one's  self. 

Beside,  any  lady,  seeking  instruction  here,  even 
seated  modestly  behind  the  principal  group,  might, 
if  perfectly  familiar  with  the  Italian  tongue,  occa- 
sionally find  the  conversation  of  the  students  be- 
coming  slightly   embarrassing,    when    they   freely 


ROME.  79 


discussed  not  only  her  ability  with  color,  but  her 
personal  appearance  and  manners. 

Also,  as  the  lesson  began  late,  it  was  apt  to  keep 
one  at  work  too  far  into  the  night,  making  an 
escort  home  through  the  deserted  streets  each 
evening  a  matter  of  absolute  necessity.  For 
Rome,  even  since  Victor  Emmanuel  has  made 
so  many  improvements,  is  not  comparatively  safe, 
like  Paris  or  London,  where  a  lady  can  traverse 
the  streets  at  almost  any  hour  without  fear. 

It  is  often  a  disappointment  to  art  students  to 
find  it  impossible  to  copy  in  the  great  galleries 
during  cold  weather,  there  being  nothing  but  a 
scaldino  of  the  smallest  dimensions  provided  as  a 
heating  apparatus,  which  in  no  way  affects  the 
atmosphere  of  the  stone-floored  rooms  or  keeps  off 
the  rheumatism,  that  enemy  of  a  persistent  copy- 
ist in  Italy. 

So  one  must  believe,  as  consolation  and  accord- 
ing to  the  critics,  that  the  gems  of  the  Borghese, 
like  the  Cenci  of  the  Barberini,  are  such  works  of 
pure  inspiration  that  a  satisfactory  reproduction  of 
them  is  impossible,  and  that  Guido  himself  might 
have  failed  in  a  second  attempt  to  portray  the  tear- 
ful face  that  so  universally  interests  and  absorbs. 

The   Pitti,   Uffizzi,  and    Accademia  -delle    Belle 


80  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

Arti  of  Florence  are  much  more  hospitable  toward 
a  student,  though,  if  desirous  of  copying  the  very 
popular  Fra  Angelico  Madonna,  or  angels  sur- 
rounding it,  one  may  have  to  wait  months,  even 
years,  for  the  opportunity,  the  list  cf  applicants' 
names  always  being  full,  and  each  obliged  to  follow 
in  turn. 

But  few  people,  particularly  artists,  will  care  to 
frequent  galleries  when  surrounding  nature  is  so 
wonderfully  beautiful,  and  rich-skinned,  large-eyed 
models  sit  patiently  on  the  long  Spanish -steps,  or 
round  the  fountains,  awaiting  the  Bonnat  or  Bou- 
gereau  who  is  to  immortalize  them  in  color. 

Certainly  none  of  the  profession  understand  the 
real  art  of  posing  like  the  Romans  and  Neapoli- 
tans, who  make  it  a  regular  business,  beginning 
from  the  cradle  and  training  their  children  and 
children's  children  in  the  most  perfect  manner. 
So  that,  hackneyed  as  the  type  has  become,  it  must 
also  be  the  chosen  one. 

Nor  is  their  faithfulness  to  be  forgotten,  as  that 
of  the  beautiful  Vincenza,  who,  after  sitting  like  a 
statue  for  hours  to  a  class  of  ladies,  fell  fainting 
from  sheer  fatigue,  yet  insisted  on  finishing  the 
seance  even  to  a  minute,  though  money  was  not 
an  object,    full  compensation    and    cab-fare   being 


ROME.  8 1 


pressed  upon  her  as  inducement  to  go  home  and 
rest. 

There  is  much  pleasure,  too,  as  one  passes  in 
hearing  the-  "  Buon  giorno,  Signorina,"  spoken  in 
soft  tones,  accompanied  by  words  and  smiles  from 
such  belles  of  the  Trastevere,  for  it  makes  a 
foreigner  feel  more  one  of  them  and  thank  a  kind 
fate  for  drifting  one  thither,  even  for  a  short  time, 
to  live  among  them. 

Doubtless  a  student  will  do  much  sketching  in 
the  Borghese  Gardens  and  the  grounds  of  the 
numerous  villas,  or,  driving  beyond  the  city  gates, 
see  pictures  enough  to  occupy  one  for  a  lifetime. 

Particularly  on  a  day  appointed  for  the  hunt, 
when  a  gay  group  of  equestrians  circle  about  the 
master,  whose  scarlet  coat  makes  him  a  mark  for 
all  eyes,  and  the  hounds  are  hardly  to  be  con- 
trolled in  their  eagerness  for  the  first  scent  of 
game,  while  amid  fashionable  Rome,  crowding  every 
avenue,  the  American  sculptor  and  horsewoman, 
on  her  three-hundred-guinea  hunter,  presses  for- 
ward to  participate  in  this  exciting  scene  of  the 
meet.  Or  later,  when  the  scattered  parties  turn 
homeward,  riding  recklessly  over  the  treacherous 
ground,  through  the  poisonous  purple  glow  of  the 
incomparable  Campagna,  that  lights  up  even  the 
6 


$2  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

distant,  white-capped  mountains,  it  is  something 
for  a  colorist  to  see. 

Guide-books  describe  Rome  so  in  detail,  as  well 
as  the  many  summer  resorts  among  the  mountains, 
that  I  will  merely  add  of  the  latter,  Albano  is  not 
only  high,  healthy,  and  picturesque,  but  moderate 
in  expense  and  is  occasionally  enlivened  by  a  party 
of  Roman  painters  in  various  costumes,  who  drive 
to  this  height  for  enacting  a  small  carnival. 
Models,  too,  are  not  only  cheap,  but  there  are  the 
veritable  shepherds,  in  the  clothes  so  often  adopted 
by  atelier  professionals,  and  seen  in  pictures,  which 
counts  as  an  advantage  ;  for  in  Italy,  as  in  France, 
a  stranger  must  seek  the  national  dress  only  in 
very  out-of-the-way  places,  to  find  it  at  all  gener- 
ally worn. 

The  rough-looking  mountaineers  make  grand 
subjects  to  exercise  an  artist's  skill  and  talent  upon  ; 
and  the  women,  though  not  handsome,  have  fine, 
pronounced  features,  and"  heads  that,  with  their 
braids  of  blueblack  hair,  studded  with  golden  orna- 
ments, make  strikingly  interesting  etudes. 

At  rare  intervals  one  encounters  "  l'homme  a  la 
musette,"  in  face  and  figure  so  like  Couture's  pic- 
ture—  exposed  since  the  painter's  death  in  the  Sa- 
lon by  the  owner,  Monsieur  Barbedienne  —  that  it 


ROME.  83 


must  be  supposed  all  of  these  musicians  belong  to 
one  family. 

Banditti  are  still  said  to  hide  in  mountainous 
regions,  but  if  a  student  has  sufficient  courage  to 
risk  an  encounter  with  such  an  unfriendly  troupe 
and  go  to  Roma  Vecchia  to  dig  for  undiscovered 
treasures,  perhaps  a  fine  piece  of  sculpture  or 
antique  jug  may  turn  up  under  the  shovel  to 
reward  one's  exertions  and  add  to  the  properties  of 
the  studio. 

All  such  things  double  in  value  when  once  on 
the  American  side  of  the  water,  and  nowhere  are 
hanging  lamps,  bronze  tripods,  and  all  such  orna- 
ments cheaper  than  in  Italy. 

The  advice  cannot  be  too  often  repeated  to  trav- 
ellers intending  wintering  in  Rome,  that  plenty  of 
flannels  and  warm  clothing  are  as  much  a  neces- 
sity there  as  anywhere,  for  roses  do  not  bloom  on 
the  Pincio  all  the  year  round,  nor  does  the  sun  shine 
"all  day  and  all  night  too,"  as  a  beguiling  padrone 
was  heard  to  assure  some  Americans,  on  showing 
her  rooms  to  them.  The  want  of  prudence  among 
foreigners  in  a  great  measure  accounts  for  the  sick- 
ness and  mortality  so  common  at  certain  seasons 
in  their  midst. 

The  going  from  hot  outside  air  and  sunny  side- 


84  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

walks  into  damp  churches,  to  sit  through  a  long 
service,  perhaps  without  the  addition  of  an  extra 
wrap  ;  or  to  see  the  Coliseum  by  moonlight,  at  an 
hour  when  almost  every  breath  is  a  deadly  malaria; 
or  still  worse,  driving  from  picture-gallery  to  ruin, 
from  villa  to  catacombs,  or  joining  the  Archaeological 
Society,  intent  on  exploring  some  old  cistern  or 
sewer  in  a  mouldy  corner  of  the  Palace  of  the 
Caesars  or  Baths  of  Caracalla,  only  to  end  the 
fatiguing  day  dressed  in  gauzy  attire  for  dancing  at 
some  German  until  morning.  These  are  the  things 
that  develop  Roman  fever,  oftener  than  do  dark 
apartments,  Campagna  air,  or  the  much-talked-of 
bad  drainage,  which  frightens  so  many  new-comers 
to  crowd  one  particular  quarter,  and  prevents  the 
enjoyment  of  much  that  is  beautiful. 

Concerning  cost  of  living  in  Rome,  it  cannot  be 
called  cheap,  though  taking  an  apartment,  in  pref- 
erence to  hotels  and  pensions,  is  as  much  more 
so  there  as  in  Paris  or  London. 

But  the  Italians  do  not  always  prove  an  agreeable 
nation  to  have  any  large  money  dealings  with,  and 
to  find  an  honest,  honorable  padrone  with  whom 
to  sign  a  contract,  is  an  important  affair.  In  this 
respect,  No.  2  Piazza  Barberini  can  be  highly  rec- 
ommended to  a  small  party,  and  the  square  itself, 


ROME.  85 


though  not  so  fashionable  as  Piazza  di  Spagna,  Via 
Felici,  or  Sistine,  is  bright  and  cheerful,  with  the 
fountain  of  the  "  Tritone  "  for  an  attractive  object 
to  see  from  one's  windows. 

The  Hotel  Costanza,  Via  Nicolo  di  Tolentino, 
and  the  pensions  of  Mme.  Telenbach,  and  the 
Misses  Smith,  in  Piazza  di  Spagna,  would  make 
a  pleasant  home,  particularly  for  a  lady  travelling 
alone,  the  price  at  the  last-named  being  twelve  to 
fifteen,  lire  per  day. 

Florence  is  better  for  shopping,  in  general,  than 
Rome,  where  at  one  time  Massoni's  on  the  Corso 
was  nearly  the  only  reliable  dry-goods  and  dress- 
making establishment  in  the  city.  Also  to  a 
walker  a  supply  of  comfortable  boots  is  even  a 
greater  luxury  than  in  France,  as  many  of  the 
narrow,  stony  streets  are  without  sidewalks  and 
make  anything  but  agreeable  footing. 

An  artistic  souvenir  of  Rome  is  made  by  buying 
a  copy  of  the  "  Marble  Faun  "  or  "  Roba  di  Roma  " 
in  the  Tauchnitz  edition,  and  inserting  the  vignette 
photographs  of  the  places  described  mounted  on 
fresh  pages,  binding  the  whole  in  the  lovely  Roman 
vellum,  which  has  the  advantage  when  soiled  of 
being  easily  made  white  and  spotless  again  by 
washing  with  soap  and  water.     At    one  time  the 


86  STUDYING  ART  ABROAD. 

arrangement  of  these  albums  was  so  much  the 
fashionable  amusement  among  foreigners  who  could 
neither  sketch  nor  paint  such  charming  bits  of 
antiquity  as  the  Temple  of  Vesta,  Hilda's  Tower, 
or  the  Ghetto  'bazaars,  that  complete  sets  of  the 
photographs,  arranged  in  regular  order,  could  always 
be  had  in  the  print  and  book  shops. 

In  ending  as  in  the  beginning  this  paper  on 
Rome,  I  can  but  express  the  conviction  that  to  a 
sculptor  it  has  everything  to  offer.*  From  the 
Vatican,  Capitol,  New  Museum,  Ludovisi,  and  so 
many  other  collections  to  even  the  street-fountains, 
and  the  strong  conceptions  of  the  modern  Monte- 
verdi, all  are  for  the  worker  in  clay,  while  the 
painter  will  find  the  cities  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Alps  offer  infinitely  greater  advantages  for 
art  study  in  color.  Although  the  latter  can  but 
see  with  deep  regret  the  last  days  of  a  Roman  visit 
draw  toward  a  close  ;  for  not  only  is  the  landscape 
exquisite,  but  the  hour's  spent  in  the  quiet  studio, 
absorbed  in  the  beauty  of  head  or  ensemble  before 


*  Several  Italian  painters,  now  receiving  honors  in  Paris,  are 
graduates  of  the  school  at  Naples,  which,  according  to  the  opinion 
of  the  very  few  Americans  who  have  studied  there,  offers  the  best 
course  of  instruction,  both  in  sculpture  and  painting,  of  any  city  in 
Italv. 


ROME.  S7 


one,  are  most  precious,  or  when  the  critic  takes 
palette  and  brushes  for  making  with  one  stroke  the 
weak  line  strong,  it  is  a  lesson  indeed  ;  and  this  life 
in  Italy  becomes  worth  making  a  struggle  for,  and 
forms  an  episode  seldom  anything  but  profitable  or 
delightful  to  recall 

So  let  painter  and  sculptor  touch  glasses  at  trie 
Fountain  of  Trevi  as  they  drink  to  their  certain 
return  to  Rome ! 


THE    END. 


Messrs.    Roberts   Brothers'    Publicatio 


us. 


THE  NO  NAME  (SECOND)  SERIES. 

SlGNOR  MONALDINI'S  NIECE. 

Extracts  from  some  Opinions  by  well-known  Authors. 

"We  have  read  'Signor  Monaldini's  Niece'  with  intensest 
inteiest  and  delight.  The  style  is  finished  and  elegant,  the  at- 
mosphere of  the  book  is  enchanting.  We  seem  to  have  lived  in 
Italy  while  we  were  reading  it.  The  author  has  delineated  with  a 
hand  as  steady  as  it  is  powerful  and  skilful  some  phases  of  human 
life  and  experience  that  authors  rarely  dare  attempt,  and  with 
marvellous  success.  We  think  this  volume  by  far  the  finest  of 
the  No  Name  Series." 

"  It  is  a  delicious  story.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  to  Italy  and 
knew  all  the  people.  .  .  .  Miss  Conroy  is  a  strong  character,  and 
her  tragedy  is  a  fine  background  for  the  brightness  of  the  other 
and  higher  natures.  It  is  all  so  dramatic  and  full  of  color  it  goes 
on  like  a  lovely  play  and  leaves  one  out  of  breath  when  the  cur- 
tain falls." 

"I  have  re-read  it  with  great  interest,  and  think  as  highly  of  it 
as  ever.  .  .  .  The  characterization  in  it  is  capital,  and  the  talk 
wonderfully  well  done  from  first  to  last." 

"  The  new  No  Name  is  enchanting.  It  transcends  the  ordinary 
novel  just  as  much  as  a  true  poem  by  a  true  poet  transcends  the 
thousand  and  one  imitations.  ...  It  is  the  episode,  however,  of 
Miss  Conroy  and  Mrs.  Brandon  that  is  really  of  most  importance 
in  this  book.  ...  I  hope  every  woman  who  reads  this  will  be 
tempted  to  read  the  book,  and  that  she  will  in  her  turn  bring  it  to 
the  reading  of  other  women,  especially  if  she  can  find  any  Mrs. 
Brandon  in  her  circle." 

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THE  COLONEL'S  OPERA  CLOAK. 


"A  jollier,  brighter,  breezier,  more  entertaining  book  than  'The  Colonel's 
Opera  Cloak '  has  not  been  published  for  many  a  day.  We  defy  the  coldest- 
blooded  reader  to  lay  it  down  before  it  is  finished,  or  to  read  it  through  without 
feeling  his  time  well  spent.  There  is  plenty  of  satire  in  its  pages,  but  it  is  good- 
natured  satire.  The  characters  are  sharply  drawn  —  some  of  them  from  nature, 
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promise  everybody  two  hours  of  thorough  enjoyment." — Boston  Transcript. 

"The  No  Name  Series  abounds  in  contrasts,  and  that  between  '  Signor  Mo- 
naldini's  Niece'  and  the  present  story  is  among  the  most  decided  it  has  offered. 
This  we  do  not  mention  by  way  of  disparagement.  On  the  contrary,  we  can  see 
a  distinctive  merit  in  a  series  which  includes  so  much  variety  of  aim  and  interest 
as  this  does,  without  any  regard  for  the  conventional  demand  that  a  succession  of 
stories  in  the  same  binding  should  all  be  of  one  school  and  in  something  the  same 
tone.  We  can  see  why  an  admirer  of  the  last  novel  may  at  first  be  taken  aback 
by  the  light  tone  of  this,  and  in  so  far  disappointed  ;  but  we  shall  expend  no 
sympathy  on  that  person.  'The  Colonel's  Opera  Cloak'  is  a  bright  and 
thoroughly  alluring  little  book,  with  which  it  would  be  foolish  to  find  fault  on  any 
score.  And,  more  than  that,  it  is  well  written  and  brimming  over  with  wit. 
The  notion  of  a  story  in  which  there  is  avowedly  no  hero  or  heroine  excepting  an 
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the  author  of 'The  Colonel's  Opera  Cloak'  has  in  large  measure  the  best  and 
most  necessary  qualification  for  doing  really  fine  work  in  fiction.  If  he  is  still 
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hi  looked  for  hopefully."  — N.  Y.  Evening  Post. 

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"There  is  not  a  stupid  page  in  the  whole  book;  every  chapter  is  jolly,  fresh, 
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"Mr.  Molloy  has  a  singularly  delicate  and  quick  touch;  and  his  fun  and 
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spirited,  and  racy  of  the  country  life  which  it  depicts,  as  any  one  can  desire."  — 
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'  Castle  Blair !  '  .  .  .  The  book  is  good,  and  lovely,  and  true,  having  the 
best  description  of  a  noble  child  in  it  (Winnie)  that  I  ever  read;  and  nearly 
the  best  description  of  the  next  best  thing, — a  noble  dog,"  says  John 
Ruskin,  the  distinguished  art  critic. 

"  '  Castle  Blair,'  a  story  of  youthful  days,  by  Flora  L.  Shaw,  is  an  Irish 
story.  A  charming  young  girl  —  half  French,  half  English  —  comes  from 
France,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  to  live  with  her  bachelor  uncle  at  Castle 
Blair,  which  is  in  possession  of  five  children  of  an  absent  brother  of  this 
uncle.  The  children  are  in  a  somewhat  wild  and  undisciplined  condition, 
but  they  are  as  interesting  children  as  can  be  imagined,  and  some  of  them 
winning  to  an  extraordinary  degree.  They  are  natural  children,  in  manner 
and  in  talk  ;  but  the  book  differs  from  some  American  books  about  children, 
in  that  it  is  pervaded  by  an  air  of  refinement  and  good-breeding.  The  story  is 
altogether  delightful,  quite  worthy,  from  an  American  point  of  view,  of  all 
Mr.  Ruskin  says  of  it ;  and  if  circulation  were  determined  by  merit,  it 
would  speedily  outstrip  a  good  many  now  popular  children's  books  which 
have  a  vein  of  commonness,  if  not  of  vulgarity."  —  Hartford  Courant. 

"  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  nothing  more  interesting  or  more  whole- 
some is  offered  this  year  for  older  boys  and  girls.  It  is  a  charming  story, 
in  which  the  author  has  delineated  character  as  carefully,  and  with  as  keen 
an  artistic  sense,  as  if  she  had  been  writing  a  novel.  Her  book  is  a  novel, 
indeed,  with  children  and  the  lives  of  children,  instead  of  men  and  women 
and  their  lives,  for  its  theme."  — New  York  Evening  Post, 
♦— 

Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  Booksellers.  When 
not  to  be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS  BROTHERS,  Publishers, 

BOSTON. 


Messrs.    Roberts   Brothers    Publications. 

TRAVELS  WITH  A  DONKEY 

IN    THE    CEVENNES. 

By  ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON. 

With    Frontispiece    Illustration    by    Walter    Crane.       i6mo. 
Cloth.     Price  $1.00. 


"This  is  one  of  the  brightest  books  of  travel  that  has  recently  come  to  our 
notice.  The  author,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  sees  every  thing  with  the  eye  of  a 
philosopher,  and  is  disposed  to  see  the  bright  rather  than  the  dark  side  of  what 
passes  under  his  observation.  He  has  a  steady  flow  of  humor  that  is  as  appar- 
ently spontaneous  as  a  mountain  brook,  and  he  views  a  landscape  or  a  human 
figure,  not  only  as  a  tourist  seeking  subjects  for  a  book,  but  as  an  artist  to  whom 
the  slightest  line  or  tint  conveys  a  definite  impression.'1  —  Boston  Courier. 

"  A  very  agreeable  companion  for  a  summer  excursion  is  brought  to  our  side 
without  ceremony  in  this  lively  reprint  of  a  journal  of  travel  in  the  interior  of 
France.  For  all  locomotive  or  four-horse  stage  coach,  the  writer  had  chartered  a 
little  she-ass,  not  much  bigger  than  a  dog,  whom  he  christened  '  Modestine,'  and 
whose  fascinating  qualities  soon  proved  that  she  was  every  way  worthy  of  the 
name.  Mounted  on  this  virtuous  beast,  with  an  inordinate  supply  of  luggage 
slung  over  her  patient  back  in  a  sheepskin  bag,  the  larder  well  provided  with 
cakes  of  chocolate  and  tins  of  Bologna  sausage,  cold  mutton  and  the  potent  wine 
of  Beaujolais,  the  light-hearted  traveller  took  his  way  to  the  mountains  of  South- 
ern France.  He  has  no  more  story  to  tell  than  had  the  '  weary  knife-grinder,,' 
but  he  jots  down  the  little  odds  and  ends  of  his  journey  in  an  off-hand,  garrulous 
tone  which  sounds  as  pleasantly  as  the  careless  talk  of  a  cheerful  companion  in  a 
country  ramble-  The  reader  must  not  look  for  nuggets  of  gold  in  these  slight 
pages,  but  the  sparkling  sands  which  they  shape  into  bright  forms  are  both  at- 
tractive and  amusing." —  N.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  '  Travels  with  a  Donkey  '  is  charming,  full  of  grace,  and  humor,  and  fresh- 
ness :  such  refined  humor  it  all  is,  too,  and  so  evidently  the  work  of  a  gentleman. 
I  am  half  in  love  with  him,  and  much  inclined  to  think  that  a  ramble  anywhere 
with  such  a  companion  must  be  worth  taking.  What  a  happy  knack  he  has  of 
giving  the  taste  of  a  landscape  or  any  out-door  impression  in  ten  words!  " 
♦— 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers.  Mailed,  postpaid,  by  the  Pub- 
Ushers, 

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LAOCOON. 

An  Essay  upon  the  Limits  of  Painting  and  Poetry. 
With  remarks  illustrative  of  various  points  in  the  History  of 
Ancient  Art.  By  Gotthold  Epiiraim  Lessing.  Translated  by 
Ellen  Frothingham.  One  volume,  i6mo,  with  pictorial  title, 
representing  the  Laocoon.     Price  $1.50. 

"The  incomparable  little  book.  .  .  .  Its  effect  upon  Goethe  can  only  be  appre- 
ciated by  those  who,  early  in  life,  have  met  with  this  work,  and  risen  from  it  with 
minds  widened,  strengthened,  and  inspired.  It  opened  a  pathway  amid  confusion, 
throwing  light  upon  many  of  the  obscurest  problems  which  torment  the  artist.  .  . . 
Lord  Macaulay  told  me  that  the  reading  of  this  little  book  formed  an  epoch  in  his 
mental  history,  and  that  he  learned  more  about  Art  from  it  than  he  had  ever 
learned  elsewhere." — From  Leives's  Life  0/  Goethe. 

"  We  wish  it  were  a  text-book  in  the  colleges,  for,  in  addition  to  the  excellence 
of  its  contents,  it  is,  in  respect  to  its  style  and  method,  a  specimen  of  the  best  sort 
of  writing."  —  From  the  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

OUR,   SKETCHING   CLUB, 

Letters  and  Studies  on  Landscape  Art.  By  the  Rev. 
R.  St.  John  Tyrwhitt,  M.A.,  formerly  Student  and  Rhetoric 
Reader  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford.  With  an  Authorized  Repro- 
duction of  the  Lessons  and  Woodcuts  in  Professor  Ruskin's 
"Elements  of  Drawing."     8vo.     Cloth.     Price  $2.50. 

•  Sketching  clubs  are  as  common  in  England  as  dancing  clubs  are  in  this  country. 
They  certainly  develop  some  real  skill  in  the  operations  of  art.  "  If,"  says 
Tyrwhitt,  "these  societies  only  afforded  intermission  and  relief  from  that  sad 
idleness  and  emptiness  which  is  one  of  the  dangers  of  English  middle  life"  (he 
might  extend  the  remark  to  America  as  well),  "  they  would  be  valuable  ;  but  they 
do  more,  and  really  amount  to  a  means  of  self-education  and  self-expression.  To 
young  women  in  particular  they  afford,  under  good  criticism,  just  what  they  most 
want ;  that  is  to  say,  help  and  encouragement  to  learn  something  thoroughly,  and 
in  a  standard  or  workmanlike  manner.''  The  book  before  us  is  the  record  of  the 
doings  of  an  imaginary  club,  and  is  a  series  of  letters  and  studies  on  landscape  art. 
The  lessons  and  woodcuts  in  Ruskin's  "  Elements  of  Drawing"  have  been  worked 
into  the  book  in  a  more  popular  form  than  that  in  which  they  first  appeared,  and 
under  the  sanction  of  their  author.  The  result  is  a  manual  of  practical  art, 
which  will  be  found  valuable  to  the  student  of  adult  years  and  of  average  culture 
in  other  matters,  as  a  guide  in  drawing. 


SARAH   TYTLER'S  ART   BOOKS. 

The  Old  Masters  and  their  Pictures. 

Modern  Painters  and  their  Paintings. 

By  Sarah  Tytler,  author  of  "  Papers  for  Thoughtful  Girls." 
161110.     Cloth,  neat.     Price  of  each,  $1.50. 

Designed  for  the  use  of  Schools  and  Learners  in  Art,  and  extensively  used  in 
Academies,  Seminaries,  &c,  throughout  the  country. 

"  An  excellent  introduction  to  the  history  of  art."  —  Daily  News. 

"These  two  books  give  in  a  simple  and  concise  manner  the  prominent  facts 
that  every  one  who  desires  to  be  well  informed  should  know  about  the  great 
artists  of  the  world.  For  beginners  in  art  and  for  school  use  they  are  valuable." 
Courier-Journal. 

"  Really  supplies  what  has  long  been  a  want."  —  British  Quarterly  Review. 

"We  are  not  aware  of  any  work  of  the  kind  written  with  so  much  intelligence 
which  yet  is  so  untechnical."  — Nonconformist. 

"Too  much  praise  cannot  be  given  the  conscientious  manner  in  which  the 
author  has  worked.  There  is  no  obtrusion  of  useless  details  or  of  unwelcome 
criticism ;  but  in  very  pleasant  style,  with  clear  and  well-defined  purpose,  the 
story  of  the  growth  and  progress  of  art  is  told  through  the  lives  and  works  of 
artists.  The  volumes  are  most  agreeable  reading  and  profitable  study."  — 
Boston  Post. 

Musical  Composers  and  their  Works. 

For   the   Use   of   Schools   and   Students  in   America.      By 
Sarah  Tytler.     i  vol.     i6mo.    $1.50. 

In  this  unostentatious  but  carefully  written  volume,  the  author  of  "  Old 
Masters"  and  "Modern  Painters"  has  given  a  simple  account  of  the  great 
musicians  of  the  world  and  of  their  works.  The  book  is  designed  more  especially 
for  the  use  of  young  peopie  in  the  course  of  their  musical  education  ;  but  the 
author  trusts  —  and  with  very  good  reason  —  that  it  will  commend  itself  also  to 
older  people,  who  are  interested  in  the  subject,  but  who  have  not  time  or  oppor- 
tunity to  refer  to  original  sources  of  information.  Not  the  least  attractive  portion 
of  the  work  is  the  sketch  of  Wagner  with  which  it  closes. 


Messrs.   Roberts   Brothers'    Publications. 


ON  THE  KIG-HT  USE  OF  BOOKS. 

A  Lecture.  By  William  P.  Atkinson,  Professor  of  Eng- 
lish and  History  in  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology. 
i6mo.     Cloth.     Price  50  cents. 

M  Full  of  good  sense,  sound  taste,  and  quiet  humor.  ...  It  is  the  easiest  thing 
in  the  world  to  waste  time  over  boc'.s,  which  are  merely  tools  of  knowledge  like 
any  other  tools.  ...  It  is  the  function  of  a  good  book  not  only  to  fructuy,  but 
to  inspire,  not  only  to  fill  the  memory  with  evanescent  treasures,  but  to  enrich 
the  imagination  with  forms  of  beauty  and  goodness  which  leave  a  lasting  impres- 
sion on  the  character."  — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

11  Contains  so  many  wise  suggestions  concerning  methods  in  study  and  so 
excellent  a  summary  of  the  nature  and  principles  of  a  really  liberal  education  that 
it  well  deserves  publication  for  the  benefit  of  the  reading  public.  Though  it 
makes  only  a  slight  volime,  its  quality  in  thought  and  style  is  so  admirable  that 
all  who  are  interested  in  the  subject  if  good  education  will  give  to  it  a  prominent 
and  honorable  position  among  the  many  books  upon  education  which  have 
recently  been  published.  For  it  takes  only  a  brief  reading  to  perceive  that  in 
this  single  lecture  the  results  of  wide  experience  in  teaching  and  of  long  study  of 
the  true  principles  of  education  are  generalized  and  presented  in  a  lew  pages, 
each  one  of  which  contains  so  much  that  it  might  be  easily  expanded  into  an 
excellent  chapter."  —  The  Library  Table. 

READING-  AS   A  FINE   ART. 

By  Ernest  Legouve,  of  the  Academie  Francaise.  Trans- 
lated from  the  Ninth  Edition  by  Abby  Langdon  Alger.  i6mo. 
Cloth      5c  cents. 

{Dedication.) 

TO  THE   SCHOLARS  OF  THE   HIGH   AND  NORMAL  SCHOOL. 

Tor  you  this  sketch  was  written:  permit  me  to  dedicate  it  to  you;  in  fact, 
to  intrust  it  to  your  care.  Pupils  to-day,  to-morrow  you  will  be  teachers  :  to- 
morrow, generation  after  generation  of  youth  will  pass  through  your  guardian 
hands.  An  idea  received  by  you  must  of  necessity  reach  thousands  of  minds. 
Help  me,  then,  to  spread  abroad  the  work  in  which  you  have  some  share,  and 
allow  me  to  add  to  the  great  pleasure  of  having  numbered  you  among  my  he;urers 
the  still  greater  happiness  of  calling  you  my  assistants.  E.  Legouve'. 

We  commend  this  valuable  little  book  to  the  attention  of  teachers  and  others 
interested  in  the  instruction  of  the  pupils  of  our  public  schools.  It  treats  of  the 
"  First  Steps"  ir.  reading,  "Learning  to  Read,"  "  Should  we  read  as  we  talk," 
"  The  Use  and  Management  of  the  Voice,"  "  The  Art  of  Breathing,"  "  Pronuncia- 
tion," "Stuttering,"  "Punctuation,"  "  Readers  and  Speakers,  "  Reading  as  a 
Means  of  Criticism,"  "On  Reading  Poetry,"  &c,  and  makes  a  strong  claim  as 
to  the  value  of_reading  aloud,  as  being  the  most  wholesome  of  gymnastics,  for  to 
jtharvthMtoice  is  tc  strengthen  the  whole  system  and  develop  vocal  power. 


itren|tha<vti 


Sold  by  all  Booksellers.      Mailed,  post-paid,  by  the  Pub- 
lishers, 

ROBERTS    BROTHERS,   Boston. 


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